Frozen by Your Side
by Darkest Ember
Summary: Dani Devlin is Duke Devlin's estranged twin sister. Once she saw how deranged their father had become, their mother took Dani and moved to America. Now, Dani realizes that Duke may be in real danger and decides to move back to Japan during her junior year of high school. There she meets Yugi and the gang and develops a particular interest in Kaiba, the cold-hearted CEO in her class
1. First Day of School

**Frozen by Your Side**

 **By: Darkest Ember**

 **Chapter 1: First Day of School**

* * *

 **Summary:** Dani Devlin is Duke Devlin's estranged twin sister. When they were younger, their father had asked a local game shop owner, Solomon Muto, to teach him to be a game master. They end up playing a dangerous game that ages their father 50 years in one night. From that moment on, he becomes obsessed with vengeance and plans to use Duke as a means to that revenge. Unable to save them both, their mother escapes with Dani and moves to America. A few years later, Dani starts to see the negative changes in her brother and decides to move back to Domino during her junior year of high school to save him. There, she meets Yugi and the gang, who all share her love for Duel Monsters. She hopes that they can also help Duke return to his old self. And then there's Seto Kaiba. Dani doesn't exactly get off on the right foot with him, but perhaps he is the one who can change _her_ for the better.

Takes place between the Duelist Kingdom and Dungeon Dice Monster arcs. Inspired by the manga storyline that shows "Mr. Clown" (Duke's dad) as the reason why Duke challenges Yugi.

Each chapter will start with a foreshadowing segment of Dani and Kaiba's online chat...neither of them know the true identity of who they're talking to, but end up becoming friends online (picture something like A Cinderella Story with Hillary Duff and Chad Michael Murray).

 **Pairing:** Kaiba x OC

* * *

 **BEWDragon** would like to be friends.

 **Vampire_lady26** and **BEWDragon** are now friends.

 **BEWDragon:** Let me guess, your favorite monster card is the…Vampire Lady?

 **Vampire_lady26:** Actually, my go-to card is the Vampire Lord, but I relate more to the Lady on a personal level…if that makes sense? And let's see, yours must be the Blue Eyes White Dragon.

 **BEWDragon:** Of course. It's one of the most powerful dragons in the game. What's not to like?

 **Vampire_lady26:** True, but they're so hard to come across. Aren't there only four in existence?

 **BEWDragon:** Only three now. My collection of Duel Monsters cards rivals that of Pegasus himself, so naturally I possess all three.

 **Vampire_lady26:** YOU have all three?! That's impressive. And if you have the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon in your deck, I'd say you'd be nearly impossible to defeat.

 **BEWDragon:** The only thing it can't stand up against is Exodia…

 **Vampire_lady26:** You've faced Exodia the Forbidden One? I've never even seen those cards, let alone met anyone who had them. Even if you lost though, you're clearly a very skilled duelist…which makes me wonder why you're on here in the first place?

 **BEWDragon:** I may be a Duel Monsters champion, but I rarely have anyone to chat with about the games…or to chat with at all.

 **Vampire_lady26:** I completely understand where you're coming from. I don't know many people where I live and I can't get better at the game if I have no one to play with or at least strategize with lol

 **BEWDragon:** Looks like you and I have a lot more in common than I would've expected.

* * *

When the alarm screeched in Dani Devlin's ear at 6:30 in the morning, she wanted nothing more than to chuck the clock across the room and watch it explode into tiny, broken pieces. She thought that giving herself a couple weeks to transition from life in America to life in Japan would be enough to prepare for her first day of school at Domino High, but clearly she was mistaken. It also probably didn't help that she foolishly chose to stay up past midnight talking to a cyber stranger about Duel Monsters.

The transition itself was predictably difficult. Her mother begged her not to go and insisted that there was a good reason why she chose to leave Domino behind all those years ago. Dani knew that she was probably right, but she just couldn't shake this feeling that she had in her gut – something was summoning her back to that city…back to her twin brother, Duke.

Knowing that he would be there any minute to pick her up for school, she scrambled to get out of the tangled mess of sheets on top of her air mattress and changed into her school uniform. She frowned at her reflection in the mirror; she _loathed_ pink.

The sound of a honking horn pulled her from her thoughts. _That must be Duke_ , she thought, feeling a mixture of excitement and dread boil in her stomach as she grabbed her backpack and snuck out the side entrance of the game shop. She didn't want him to know that she'd taken up residency at his unfinished game shop. She casually turned around the corner and waved a dismissive hand at his honking.

Before entering the car, she paused to appreciate the fact that a 16-year-old like Duke already had a sports car in his possession. _Must be nice_ , she thought bitterly as she ducked down to get into the low car. "Well this definitely beats riding the bus or walking to school," she commented.

"Sure does," he agreed. "But for future reference, maybe we should meet a little closer to the school, especially since this is our first week here. Or, you know, you could just stay with us. We have a couple spare bedrooms."

Dani cringed at the offer. She wouldn't mind staying with her brother – he's the whole reason she moved back – but she despised their demented father. He was always crazy, but she felt that his craziness was somehow influencing Duke too. And she was hoping that by being there, she'd be able to save him before he went full blown psycho. "Hmm, no thanks. You know how I feel about our dad. Besides, I'm totally fine. I'm staying with an old friend."

"You stayed in touch with your grade school friends?" he asked, cocking a disbelieving eyebrow. "You haven't lived here in like eight years…"

"Whatever," she muttered, crossing her arms defiantly over her chest. "Just don't worry about me, I'm fine, okay?"

"Sure, whatever you say, sis. Let's just get this day over with," he said, parking in the nearly full student parking lot.

Duke was fortunate enough to have received a tour before transferring from the private school he'd been attending. As such, it only made sense for Dani to follow him to the main office. She just wished she didn't look so pathetic, practically cowering behind his tall lanky frame as they walked down the halls filled with students in blue and pink uniforms.

"Ah you must be the Devlin twins!" the secretary exclaimed. "Welcome to Domino High! I believe I've already met you, Duke. And you must be Danielle."

"Dani," she corrected, politely extending a hand. "Pleasure to meet you."

The secretary looked down at their files and gasped. "Oh my goodness, you just moved here from America? That must've been a huge transition!"

Dani shrugged. "It's been a bit of an adjustment, sure. But I was born here in Japan so it's kind of like walking down memory lane the last couple days."

"Excellent. Well, if you need any help with anything at all just let one of the faculty members know and we'll be happy to help."

"Thanks," Dani said, smiling awkwardly and wondering why this woman thought she was so helpless. _She must've seen the way I was walking in the halls_ , she thought, groaning internally.

The secretary glanced at the clock. "Alright, kids, here are your homeroom assignments. Unfortunately, due to your late admission, Miss Devlin, I couldn't get you two in the same homeroom. Duke, you'll be in 3B and Dani you're in 3A."

Despite her attempts to maintain a cool composure, Dani felt like she was crumbling on the inside. She was always shy around new people, and the thought of a classroom full of strangers without Duke by her side sounded downright terrifying. Luckily, though, their homerooms were right next to each other, and she was sure that they would have some similar classes throughout the day.

"Good luck, sis," Duke said, giving her a reassuring hug. "See you in third period."

With a deep breath, Dani opened the door labeled "3A" and stepped inside. Most of the people in the room didn't even glance up to acknowledge her entrance – they were too busy in their conversations, which was just fine with her. She managed to find a seat that was near the windows, yet not too close to the front of the classroom. There was something about being surrounded by a sea of students that offered some semblance of comfort.

Despite the bell ringing to begin the day, the teacher was still busy preparing his desk, which only allowed more time for the students to continue their chatter.

Although the noise volume was high, she found herself honing in on a conversation happening between the two boys next to her. One of them turned his desk around so that they were facing each other and playing a game of Duel Monsters. "I hate to say it, Joey, but once I summon this monster, you're going to have say goodbye to Red-Eyes," a small boy with tri-colored spiky hair said. Dani glanced over her shoulder to get a better look. She couldn't believe that boy was a junior in high school…

More importantly, though, she got a good look at his opponent's hand. Graverobber, Dragon Nails, Baby Dragon, and Flame Swordsman. _If he played his cards right, he might be able to get out of this corner that the boy trapped him in._

"Bring it on, Yug. The only way I'm gonna get better is with practice!" Joey responded with a surprising Brooklyn accent. _Maybe I'm not the only American here…?_

Yugi chuckled. "Alright, but you asked for it! I play Monster Reborn to bring back my favorite monster, the Dark Magician! I'll use the Dark Magician to attack your Red Eyes."

"You may have destroyed ol' Red Eyes, but I've still got tons of monsters to defend my life points," Joey declared, placing Baby Dragon face down in defense mode.

Before she could help herself, Dani blurted, "You should've played Graverobber to use his Monster Reborn! Then you could've brought back your Red Eyes Black Dragon and made it stronger than the Dark Magician with your Dragon Nails…"

Joey and Yugi at first looked a little startled from the sudden input from a student they didn't know, but after the initial shock, Joey looked down at his cards. "She makes a good point…Oops."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," she said, laughing nervously.

"No worries," Yugi said with a friendly smile, "I take it you also like to play Duel Monsters?"

She nodded, now fully turning around to face them. "Definitely! I just moved here from America. It was just starting to take off there, but I'm glad to see it's so popular here!"

"Not only is it a popular game, but you're also lookin at two of the finalists from the Duelist Kingdom tournament," Joey said, grinning smugly.

"Don't lie to the new girl, Wheeler," someone sneered from behind them. "Just because you got lucky enough to make it into the finals doesn't mean you're worthy of any titles."

Dani turned around to see who else had joined the conversation. Despite wearing the same blue uniform as all the other guys, he seemed to stick out like a sore thumb. He had icy blue eyes that were filled with contempt. He sat rigidly in his seat with painfully perfect posture. While the other students had been talking – or playing Duel Monsters – he had been busy working on his expensive-looking laptop.

"Give him a break, Kaiba," Yugi said defensively. "You know that Joey worked very hard to earn that spot in the finals, and he's come such a long way in the past few months."

Kaiba laughed, though it wasn't a sound of amusement. "If you want to keep living in denial, that's your problem. I prefer to live in the real world."

Thankfully, the conversation couldn't escalate any further because the teacher had _finally_ composed himself and was ready to begin the homeroom session with attendance. As she listened to the names being called out, Dani sunk into her seat, wishing she'd never intervened in their game. If she hadn't pointed out the flaw in Joey's strategy, Kaiba probably wouldn't have went on his insult rant. _Great, the first two people that could be potential friends probably already hate me._

Dani had every intention of keeping to herself and avoiding that Kaiba guy at all costs. Unfortunately for her, she had six out of her seven classes with the asshole. But without people like Joey around, she noticed that he pretty much kept to himself. It was obvious that his intellect surpassed most of the students' in the class, yet he didn't seize every opportunity to show off that little detail.

Evidently, he also noticed their similar schedules and decided to finally confront her at the beginning of sixth period. He chose a seat behind her, which immediately put her on edge. A few minutes passed before he leaned forward and started talking to her. "I'd stay away from the Nerd Herd if I were you. If you're not careful, they'll rope you in with one of their pathetic friendship speeches."

At first Dani wasn't sure who the "Nerd Herd" was, but after seeing Joey sitting with a brunette girl and a white-haired boy in the corner of the room, it wasn't difficult to figure out who he was referring to. "They don't seem so bad," Dani shot back. "At least they _have_ friends."

Kaiba was leaning close enough for her to feel his hot breath billowing across her neck. "If you want to be successful, you don't need friends. They'll only slow you down."

Confused with his logic, Dani immediately spun around and was surprised to see that he remained leaning forward. Even so, he still had a couple inches on her and looked as though he were peering down at her from a metaphorical pedestal with those damn chilling eyes. "I wouldn't consider anyone truly successful, if they're all alone. Even if you're the richest person in the world…what good is that money if you don't have someone to share it with?"

For the briefest second, Dani swore she saw the icy exterior crack as a hint of sadness peek through.

* * *

 **A/N:** Well, here it is, my first attempt at a Yu-Gi-Oh fanfic! After years and years of being a fan of this show, I finally came up with a cool idea that wouldn't revolve around duels lol although I may still try to write a few dueling scenes. The main focus will be the drama surrounding Dani and Duke's family and, of course, the angsty feelings that will develop between Dani and Kaiba ;)

Leave a comment and let me know what you think so far! Next chapter will be up later this week.


	2. Errand Run From Hell

Frozen by Your Side

By: Darkest Ember

Chapter 2: Errand Run From Hell

* * *

 **Summary:** Dani Devlin is Duke Devlin's estranged twin sister. When they were younger, their father had asked a local game shop owner, Solomon Muto, to teach him to be a game master. They end up playing a dangerous game that ages their father 50 years in one night. From that moment on, he becomes obsessed with vengeance and plans to use Duke as a means to that revenge. Unable to save them both, their mother escapes with Dani and moves to America. A few years later, Dani starts to see the negative changes in her brother and decides to move back to Domino during her junior year of high school to save him. There, she meets Yugi and the gang, who all share her love for Duel Monsters. She hopes that they can also help Duke return to his old self. And then there's Seto Kaiba. Dani doesn't exactly get off on the right foot with him, but perhaps he is the one who can change _her_ for the better.

Takes place between the Duelist Kingdom and Dungeon Dice Monster arcs. Inspired by the manga storyline that shows "Mr. Clown" (Duke's dad) as the reason why Duke challenges Yugi.

Each chapter will start with a foreshadowing segment of Dani and Kaiba's online chat...neither of them know the true identity of who they're talking to, but end up becoming friends online (picture something like A Cinderella Story with Hillary Duff and Chad Michael Murray).

 **Pairing:** Kaiba x OC

* * *

 **Vampire_lady26:** Kill me PLEASE. Today is the worst.

 **BEWDragon:** Don't be so dramatic. What's wrong?

 **Vampire_lady26:** I just transferred to a new school to be with my brother and I literally haven't seen him all day. Plus, I don't have any friends here. So, I'm just hanging out in the library instead of eating lunch…

 **BEWDragon:** Don't let it get to you. I'm sure you'll make friends eventually. And what's so bad about not seeing your brother? You'll see him when you get home, right? I go all day without seeing my brother.

 **Vampire_lady26:** You have a brother too? Yet another thing we have in common! But I guess I was just hoping to have him for support…

 **BEWDragon:** I understand, but you also need to be able to count on yourself too. Don't always rely on everyone around you. Honestly, even though I'm surrounded by people, my brother and myself are all I really need.

 **Vampire_lady26:** That's awesome. But don't you have any parents…?

 **BEWDragon:** Unfortunately, no. Our parents died when we were young, and our adoptive father was a self-serving tyrant who ended up committing suicide.

 **Vampire_lady26:** That's rough :/ Glad you have your brother though. I know how you feel about asshole fathers. My parents are divorced and I'm supposed to be living with my dad and brother for the time being, but I hate him so much.

 **BEWDragon:** Asshole fathers, another thing we have in common.

* * *

Instead of paying attention to her geometry teacher's first lesson of the year, Dani used her fist to support her heavy head as she stared at the ground. She couldn't stop thinking about the chat she had with her online pen pal. If he hadn't happened to be online at the same time she was, she would've had such a miserable lunch. _Too bad_ he _doesn't go to this school._

The sound of the bell ringing barely registered in her ears. She blinked a few times and glanced around to find a nearly empty classroom. _Guess it doesn't matter what country you're in, everyone will always want to leave school the minute that bell rings._ A part of her regretted not getting a head start with everyone else…because now she was trapped in the crowd.

By the time she reached her locker, she'd expected to see Duke leaning up against the wall waiting with an impatient look on his face – but he was nowhere to be found. As she slammed her locker door shut, she went down the main hallway and saw a bunch of girls clustered around the entrance to one of the classrooms. They were shrieking and giggling as though some movie star were in that room.

Mildly curious to see what the road block was all about, she shoved her way through the group and saw someone sitting at a desk with a cup and some dice in his hands. "If you ladies thought that last trick was impressive, just wait till you see this," Duke grinned. Infuriated and shocked that that was what all the commotion was about, she stomped away.

Somehow the group of girls was harder to get out of than it was to join. With one last shove, she managed to push her way through, but ended up colliding with someone. They both fell to the ground. Dani groaned from the impact and could already tell that her school supplies had spilled across the floor. As she reached for discarded backpack, she looked up to see that she ran into Seto Kaiba of all people – and he looked even colder than usual, which she didn't think was even possible.

Since it wasn't _entirely_ her fault that the collision happened, she half expected him to help her collect her scattered belongings or at least give her a hand standing up. Instead, he helped himself up and grabbed his unaffected metallic briefcase. "Look, I understand that you're new here, but that's no excuse to not watch where you're going."

He stepped over her and was starting to walk away, but she wasn't going to let him get away that easily. "I'm sorry but you could've just as easily ran into _me_. You were walking straight and could see straight in front of you. I, however, had to claw my way through that group of easily amused girls!"

Much to her surprise, he smirked, as if he were amused with her heated reaction. "I have more important places to be than this sad excuse of a school, so it's not my fault if someone steps out right in front of me."

"Still no excuse!" she called after him, glaring at his back until he turned a corner. She wondered where he had to go in such a rush. _Probably some shitty after school job,_ she thought, laughing to herself and imagining him in a McDonald's uniform.

"What's so funny?" Duke asked from behind her.

Not expecting him to appear so suddenly like that, she froze in place. She glanced down and saw that most of her textbooks were still scattered across the floor and the group of girls that had been surrounding him had disappeared. "Oh, just laughing at how weird this day has been," she said, recovering. Once her things were scooped up, she gave him a pointed look. "Are you finally ready to leave?"

The ride back to the game shop was filled with idle chatter about their days. She didn't want him to feel sorry for her, so she tried to spruce up the few interactions she had with students to keep up with his stories about how all the girls were fawning over him. She couldn't imagine how much his popularity would skyrocket once his shop opens.

When Duke took the time to parallel park on the side of the game shop, rather than just pull up to the curb, Dani frowned in confusion. They were parked right by her secret entrance. _Shit…he knows,_ she thought, nervously unclasping her seatbelt.

"Would you mind hanging out at the shop with me? Opening Day is less than a week away, and I could really use your help," Duke said.

Being a secret resident in the game shop since her arrival in Japan, Dani already knew that things were way behind schedule. The shelves were only half-stocked, the cash registers and arcade games weren't hooked up yet, and, clearly, there was no security system in place – which worked in her favor.

Now that Dani knew her secret was still safe, she felt inspired to live the lie and continue making it as believable as possible. She pretended to give it some thought. After a few seconds, she said, "Alright, let me just text my friend and let her know I'll be home late." She even went so far as to send an actual text – although it was sent to her mom, not some grade school friend. "I'm actually glad you asked. Ever since you told me about this and the new game you invented, I've been dying to see it for myself!" That part was 100% true.

Duke grinned at her response and excitedly tugged on her arm as he led her up the stairs. "That's right! I forgot you haven't seen Dungeon Dice Monsters yet. Let's go test out the arena."

Dani shared in Duke's excitement. She remembered all the months he spent carefully crafting the concept for the game. Based on his description, his game combines the luck of a dice roll, strategic placement, and – best of all – Duel Monsters. The game had to be amazing, since it was approved by Duke's idol, Maximillian Pegasus.

Naturally, the Dungeon Dice Monsters arenas were right near the shop entrance. Duke flicked on all the lights, which revealed a massive holograph-producing arena. Dani had only ever seen such technology on TV or the internet – she never got to duel using the arenas. Another flick of a switch lowered the two player platforms. Once the three heart points were illuminated, a slot opened and revealed a bunch of multi-colored dice. "Whoa," she gasped, wondering what the different colors and symbols meant. "So this game is literally just played with dice…"

Duke explained the differences between each of the dice types and even gave a few pointers before they each picked their dice pool. "The best way to learn the game is to actually play it yourself, but don't worry…I'll go easy on you," he teased.

To best demonstrate gameplay, Duke volunteered to go first. He rolled three dice and ended up with two Level One summoning crests and a defense crest. Dani watched closely as he placed one of the dice on a square in the grid. "Dimension the dice," he said. Although the square lit up, nothing else happened.

He waited a few more seconds before angrily picking up the dice and chucking them over his platform and onto the actual field. "Everything started falling apart the day that Yugi Muto cheated and convinced the world that he defeated Pegasus," he muttered, clenching his fists.

Dani exited the player platform and joined her brother on his side. His body was rigid with anger, stress, and disappointed. "But I thought you said Pegasus loved the game?"

"He did, but I haven't heard from him since the Duelist Kingdom tournament. Until he signs the contract we discussed, I'll only be able to sell Dungeon Dice Monsters games here in my shop. I _need_ his official endorsement."

"I mean…he's probably a really busy guy, Duke. It's not that unusual for someone like him to take a while to respond to a call or email. Don't worry about that right now…we need to focus on fixing these arena glitches first," she reasoned. "Who installed these arenas?"

She felt relieved to see that she helped shift his focus and restore a bit of hope. "We're using technology from Kaiba Corp. They're the top gaming company in Japan, actually probably in the whole world," he said, walking toward the store entrance. "They should be able to fix it."

Dani started to follow him outside but then stopped in her tracks. _Kaiba Corp…as in KAIBA from school? There's no way… Maybe it's a relative who owns the company._

Duke was almost immediately put on hold after calling Kaiba Corp's main office. As they stood outside the shop, Dani glanced up and saw the clown, looking particularly ominous with the lighting underneath it. "Why a clown?" she asked.

He followed her gaze and shrugged. "Dad really likes clowns, I guess. Figured since he was the one paying for it, the least I could let him do was name the shop. So, it's going to be called the Black Clown Game Shop."

"Should've known," she muttered under her breath. She could never understand why Duke couldn't see their father's craziness. Maybe spending all those years alone with him just blinded him to the reality of it all.

Duke, still on hold with Kaiba Corp, pulled his phone away from his ear to look at the screen. "Speak of the devil," he said laughing.

Dani rolled her eyes. "Don't answer that! If you call back, you'll just have to wait in Kaiba Corp's ridiculously long phone queue." But she was too late – he had already swapped the call.

Pouting on the steps, Dani felt relatively annoyed during Duke's phone conversation, but that became more like rage when she heard Duke say, "Yeah no problem, I'll be there in ten minutes."

 _Be_ where _in ten minutes? What about the important technology issues that need to be fixed?_

When he hung up the phone, Duke cautiously looked at her with a pleading expression. "So…I have to go pick up Dad. Would you mind calling Kaiba Corp back?"

Dani scoffed. "It's past 5, Duke. Normal office employees probably aren't there to answer the phone."

Gesturing to what had to be the tallest building in Domino, he said, "Then maybe we should go right to the source. Look at all those lights in the windows. There's gotta be someone there who could come over and fix the arena."

"Okay, genius, how would I even get there?"

"I'll drop you off," he said, nonchalantly and oblivious to her growing frustration. "By the time I get Dad back home, you should be done there. It'll work out perfectly."

If it were up to her, Dani would've snuck back into the shop and retired to her lonely corner in one of the stockrooms. She didn't want to go anywhere near that building, fearing that she might run into Kaiba. Seeing him again at school tomorrow would be torture enough. Plus, she didn't want to work around their father's sketchy schedule.

But then she saw the look on Duke's face. There was no way she could bring herself to say no. "Okay, fine, I'll go. But you better be waiting for me in front of that eyesore of a building by 6:30."

"You got it!" he exclaimed, practically running to his car.

* * *

The building was far more intimidating up close than it was at a distance. _It's not like I've never seen a skyscraper before…it's just this particular building is_ so _much bigger than the others in this city_. Duke didn't linger outside the building, so she had no choice but to go inside. Thankfully, a receptionist was still at the front desk.

"Business hours are from 9 AM to 5 PM," the woman said, not even looking up from her computer screen.

Dani laughed sarcastically. "And yet, you're still here." The woman looked up with an unamused expression, so Dani got straight to the point. "Look, my name is Dani Devlin. My family is opening a game shop later this week and some of our Kaiba Corp arenas are malfunctioning. Would it be possible to have someone come out and take a look?"

Now it was the secretary's turn to laugh. "You must be joking. All our technicians left at five o'clock. The only ones still left are Mr. Kaiba's private technicians, which are obviously unavailable. You'll have to call tomorrow morning and set up an appointment."

"I don't want to set up an appointment," Dani gritted out. "I want someone to fix this tonight. It's not our fault that this company installed faulty arenas."

"Perhaps you should've been more aware of the situation instead of waiting till the last minute to make corrections," she sneered. "I'll make a note for the morning receptionist to contact you regarding appointment options."

 _There's gotta be someone here who can help us_ , Dani thought, eying the elevator behind the front desk. "Fine, if that's the best you can do," she said, sounding defeated. Before fully turning to leave, she added, "Actually, I have one more question. My brother won't be able to pick me up for another half hour…is there a restroom nearby?"

With a not-so-subtle eye roll, the woman pointed to her right. "Down the hall, just past the elevators."

"Thank you _so_ much for your help," Dani smirked, heading down the hall. Luckily, there was an elevator that was far enough down the hall and perfectly out of her view.

Once she was inside the elevator, she spent a solid minute just staring at all the buttons. There was one button that caught her attention – L. _If I were a "private technician" that had to work on secret projects after hours, I would probably be in L…Lab._ She pushed the L button and felt the elevator lurch downward.

Since she was infiltrating such a huge organization, Dani expected the "lab" floor to be an absolute maze of offices and laboratories; however, when the elevator doors opened, she saw nothing but a simple hallway with five doors tops. Admittedly, she felt a little disappointed, but at least this would speed up her search.

Door One was just an office space with a couple desks and plenty of file cabinets. Door Two revealed some sort of massive server device and a couple monitors on the walls. Before opening Door Three, Dani pressed her ear to the door and heard voices. _Jackpot_.

She carefully opened the door and stayed close to the wall as she entered the room. After walking down a small hallway, the room opened up. A bunch of computers and wires filled one wall, while the other three walls were blank.

"Run the simulation again, and for your sake, you better hope there's not another defect," a familiar sounding voice commanded. _Is that Kaiba?_

"Right away, Mr. Kaiba. I assure you, my team has been working on this project for weeks. There won't be any more issues," a man stammered.

Just as Dani chanced another glance around the corner, those blank walls changed into a holographic display of some street in Domino. Inching out a little further, Dani confirmed that it was in fact Kaiba on the other side of the wall – but he was dressed differently.

Instead of his blue school uniform, he wore a studded white trench coat atop a slim-fitting black shirt and pants. He almost looked like a different person, and Dani found herself staring at him a little longer than she would've preferred. Moments later, she observed that his outfit wasn't the only thing out of place. There was some sort of device attached to his wrist. She squinted to get a better look – she could've sworn there was a deck of cards in the central slot.

Sure enough, Kaiba drew five cards from the deck and then summoned X-Head Cannon. The monster appeared in the holographic city street and was so lifelike…with a shadow on the ground and everything. _Kaiba created a way to portably play Duel Monsters?! That's…incredible._

Dani was so blown away with what she was seeing that she _had_ to get a little closer. The moment she entered the actual workspace, a siren started blaring and a harsh red light illuminated the room. The holographic scenes disappeared and Kaiba spun around with a downright livid expression on his face. That expression only deepened when he saw who the intruder was.

* * *

 **A/N:** uh-oh...Dani's going to be in big trouble in the next chapter! Brace yourselves for an intense scene between her and Kaiba ;) I'm super excited to write the next two chapters...they're definitely going to be Kaiba-centric, but it was nice to see a little sibling bonding in this chapter lol

Don't forget to leave a quick review :)


	3. Intruder Alert

Frozen by Your Side

By: Darkest Ember

Chapter 3: Intruder Alert

* * *

 **Summary:** Dani Devlin is Duke Devlin's estranged twin sister. When they were younger, their father had asked a local game shop owner, Solomon Muto, to teach him to be a game master. They end up playing a dangerous game that ages their father 50 years in one night. From that moment on, he becomes obsessed with vengeance and plans to use Duke as a means to that revenge. Unable to save them both, their mother escapes with Dani and moves to America. A few years later, Dani starts to see the negative changes in her brother and decides to move back to Domino during her junior year of high school to save him. There, she meets Yugi and the gang, who all share her love for Duel Monsters. She hopes that they can also help Duke return to his old self. And then there's Seto Kaiba. Dani doesn't exactly get off on the right foot with him, but perhaps he is the one who can change _her_ for the better.

Takes place between the Duelist Kingdom and Dungeon Dice Monster arcs. Inspired by the manga storyline that shows "Mr. Clown" (Duke's dad) as the reason why Duke challenges Yugi.

Each chapter will start with a foreshadowing segment of Dani and Kaiba's online chat...neither of them know the true identity of who they're talking to, but end up becoming friends online (picture something like A Cinderella Story with Hillary Duff and Chad Michael Murray).

 **Pairing:** Kaiba x OC

* * *

 **Vampire_lady26:** I hate meeting new people…in person at least. It's like I completely freeze and forget how to interact.

 **BEWDragon:** I was about to say, you've been completely fine talking to me. You shouldn't care about what other people think. As cliché as it sounds, just be yourself and if they don't like you for that, then they're just shitty people.

 **Vampire_lady26:** That's what I tell myself. Who cares what they think? And yet, deep down, I know a part of me cares…a part of me wants to belong to a group, have friends, be wanted…

 **BEWDragon:** I used to want that, too. But sometimes being alone isn't so bad. You're less likely to be hurt or disappointed.

* * *

Due to their top-notch security team, there were rarely ever any intruders at Kaiba Corp. Hell, Kaiba couldn't even remember the last time a fire alarm went off, much less an intruder alarm. Maybe it was because most Kaiba Corp employees feared being the target of Kaiba's wrath. Whatever the reason, things tended to run smoothly there.

When the red alarm started blaring in the middle of his duel disk trial, Kaiba was somewhat surprised. After all, who would be _stupid_ enough to sneak into Kaiba Corp? At first, he suspected someone from Von Schroder's pathetic gaming company. Kaiba's surprise continued to grow when he spun around and saw that the intruder was the new girl from school.

 _Was this why she suddenly returned to Japan? To spy on me?_ Kaiba wondered. _I'll make sure she regrets that foolish decision._

Mere seconds after the alarm was triggered, a team of security personnel stormed into the room and surrounded Dani. She gave Kaiba a pleading look and held her hands up defensively. Surely, she wasn't asking him to protect her? What did she think would happen when she decided to sneak into a multi-billion-dollar gaming company?

"Take her away," Kaiba demanded, giving her one last steely stare before ripping off his duel disk and chucking it at one of the lab assistants. As much as he wanted to perfect his newest product for mass distribution, he suddenly had a greater desire to go interrogate his intruder.

The entire tenth floor of the building was dedicated to security and surveillance. At the very back corner of the floor, near the fire escape staircase, there was a tiny room with nothing more than a table and two chairs inside. Since there wasn't usually a need to detain people in the building, there wasn't a large space dedicated to holding people.

Kaiba's right hand man, Roland, was standing outside the door. The moment he saw Kaiba approach, he cringed. "Please forgive the intrusion, Mr. Kaiba. We're currently reviewing the tapes to see how the girl got in."

"Don't bother. I'll find out on my own."

* * *

Despite having no clue how to get out of handcuffs, Dani refused to just sit in that incredibly uncomfortable metal chair without at least _attempting_ an escape. She tried tugging on the cuffs, banging them against the arm rests, sliding her wrists out, but nothing worked. When she wasn't strategizing her escape, she was wondering why the hell Kaiba still had his security staff take her away. He _knew_ it was her.

Almost as if on cue, Kaiba entered the room and locked the door behind him. _That's not creepy at all…what is he some kind of psycho?_ Dani's heartbeat quickened with each step that Kaiba took toward her. The likelihood of him arriving to rescue her was rapidly reducing.

"I knew there was something off about you – besides you willingly talking to Wheeler and Yugi during homeroom," he sneered, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

"What the hell are you talking about?" she demanded, shooting back a glare that rivaled his own. "And what's your problem with them?"

"That's none of your concern," he snapped. "Just worry about your own predicament."

She laughed. "There is no predicament! I came here asking for someone to fix the faulty equipment you gave my family. Not getting anywhere with your bitch of a receptionist, I decided to find someone on my own."

"You expect me to believe that?" he asked, approaching her.

Kaiba already towered over her when they stood side-by-side, but now, with her handcuffed to a chair, that difference in height was _extra_ intimidating. Nevertheless, she did her best to mask her internal panic. "What reason would I have to lie to you?"

"You want to know what I think? I think you came here to spy on my company. Maybe you got a tip that we're developing a duel disk, so you decided to conveniently move back to Japan and check it out."

The thought of her, a B-average high school student with a decent writing talent, moving to a different country as a secret agent intent on exposing the next gaming trend made her laugh uncontrollably. Kaiba, however, did not share her amusement with the situation. He bent down and gripped her arms with so much force that it felt like he was grinding her arms against the cold metal armrests. "Is that supposed to be some sort of delusional confession?"

She cringed in pain as she squirmed in her chair, somehow trying to find a way out of his grip. "Obviously not!" she gritted. "I was laughing because that sounds completely insane. Why are you treating me like this?!"

"Because I don't take very kindly to intruders," he smirked. "Now, are you going to tell me what you were doing here?"

"I already told you why I was here," she spat. "Don't be so paranoid."

He leaned in closer so that their faces were nearly touching. His sapphire eyes were alit with excitement – almost as if, deep down, he was _enjoying_ this whole encounter. "There's just one problem with that story of yours," he said, bringing one of his hands up from her arm to her throat. "My company doesn't produce faulty equipment."

As his fingers coiled around her neck, he asked her once more for the truth. She pleaded with him through her teary eyes, hoping that he would see her sincerity. When that didn't work, she managed to choke out, "It's…the truth…the game shop…can't open without…those arenas!"

 _Game shop?_ Kaiba thought, at first thinking of Yugi's grandfather's shop. _That's the only game shop in Domino and I know for a fact it's not big enough to fit a dueling arena._

"What game shop?" he asked, releasing his grip.

Dani coughed in an attempt to catch her breath. "The Black Clown Game Shop," she said with a hint of disgust. "It's a huge building with a big freaky clown above the sign. I don't know how you could miss it."

With the production of the duel disk, Kaiba had little time for anything else – particularly driving around town and stumbling upon some new store. "You said it's your family's store? You don't sound very fond of it."

She shrugged. "Let's just say I don't really get along with my father, but he's the one financing the project, so I have to deal with it. Now are you going to fix the Dungeon Dice Monster arena or not?"

At the mention of Duke's new game, it looked as though the metaphorical light bulb finally turned on in Kaiba's head. He vaguely remembered signing a contract with someone named Duke Devlin about a week before Pegasus kidnapped Mokuba. Some modifications had to be made to the arenas to accommodate the similar, yet different aspects of Dungeon Dice Monsters.

It sounded like an interesting project, which was why he agreed to do the job; however, with Pegasus' unwelcome interruption, the project had to be passed on to one of his technicians during his absence. _That explains it. The arena is faulty because some moron was assigned to build it._ Even so, he wasn't ready to just spend all night working on an arena.

"You've already wasted enough of my time tonight. Besides, it's not my problem. Something must've gone wrong when your brother installed it," he said, defensively.

Dani scoffed. " _I've_ wasted _your_ time? That's a good one. I didn't ask to be held captive and get choked out. Maybe I should make it your problem by suing you for abuse."

He laughed and sat down in the other chair. "And I'll countersue for trespassing."

"You are so obnoxious!" she groaned. "Don't you realize that we could've already gone to the shop and started the repairs if you hadn't wasted this past hour playing make-believe detective?"

Kaiba narrowed his eyes in anger at her side comment. For a split second, Dani regretted being so blunt, but what other choice did she have? She needed a different tactic if she expected to get through to him. "If finding a technician to fix your arena means getting you away from me, then fine, let's go find someone from my lab," he gritted out, reaching in his pocket for the handcuff keys.

After she was released, Dani rubbed her sore wrists and pouted at Kaiba, hoping to inspire some sympathy, but he just rolled his eyes and led her to the door. When Kaiba opened the door, Roland was still waiting outside and he had company.

"There you are, big brother!" Mokuba grinned. "Roland said you were down in the security department…what's going on?" He peered around his brother's tall frame and saw Dani standing somewhat meekly behind him. Mokuba may have been young, but he still noticed the bruises on her neck and wrists.

Of course, Kaiba completely downplayed the situation. "Someone broke into my lab, and I wanted to find out why."

"Oh," he said softly, not looking away from Dani. "Is everything okay now?"

"Yes, Mokuba. It was all a misunderstanding, and that's all anyone needs to know," Kaiba replied, turning his attention toward Roland as if silently telling him to keep any record of this incident from spreading.

Dani witnessed the whole exchange with a mixture of intrigue and sadness. She couldn't believe that someone like Kaiba had a younger brother. Did he treat him like he treats everyone else around him? Mokuba seemed like the opposite of Kaiba – it was difficult for her to believe they were even related.

While Roland informed the security team on the matter, Kaiba, Mokuba, and Dani took the familiar path to the lower level of the building to meet with Kaiba's private technicians. Although the encounter was far more stressful than Dani had anticipated, she felt relieved knowing that soon it would be over…the store would be one step closer to opening and she'd have a few Kaiba-free hours before school tomorrow.

That relief shattered the moment they stepped into an empty lab. Kaiba slammed his fist onto the table. "Where the hell is everyone? I told them to stay and continue researching."

"It's past seven o'clock, Seto," Mokuba murmured. "You can't expect them to work all night."

"Well now they won't have to worry about work at all," he smirked evilly. "Because they're all fired!"

Not caring about the Kaiba Corp employees, Dani said, "Okay, so if you fire all your technicians, who's going to fix my arena?"

 _Shit_ , Kaiba thought. _Why does everything have to be one headache after another?_ Knowing that Dani would probably be annoyingly persistent about this problem, Kaiba knew that the only way to deal with this was to fix the arena himself.

The last thing he wanted to do was spend more time with her, but this would solve more problems in the long run. Plus, catching sight of the blackish-blue bruising that lined her neck caused him to feel a small twinge of guilt.

"I'll have to fix it myself," he muttered, pressing the KC logo on his trench coat to summon a limo. "Let's go."

* * *

 **A/N:** This is only the first of many intense Kaiba/Dani moments to come :)

Thank you so much for the amazing reviews so far 3


	4. A Quick Fix

Frozen By Your Side

By: Darkest Ember

Chapter 4: A Quick Fix

* * *

 **Summary:** Dani Devlin is Duke Devlin's estranged twin sister. When they were younger, their father had asked a local game shop owner, Solomon Muto, to teach him to be a game master. They end up playing a dangerous game that ages their father 50 years in one night. From that moment on, he becomes obsessed with vengeance and plans to use Duke as a means to that revenge. Unable to save them both, their mother escapes with Dani and moves to America. A few years later, Dani starts to see the negative changes in her brother and decides to move back to Domino during her junior year of high school to save him. There, she meets Yugi and the gang, who all share her love for Duel Monsters. She hopes that they can also help Duke return to his old self. And then there's Seto Kaiba. Dani doesn't exactly get off on the right foot with him, but perhaps he is the one who can change _her_ for the better.

Takes place between the Duelist Kingdom and Dungeon Dice Monster arcs. Inspired by the manga storyline that shows "Mr. Clown" (Duke's dad) as the reason why Duke challenges Yugi.

Each chapter will start with a foreshadowing segment of Dani and Kaiba's online chat...neither of them know the true identity of who they're talking to, but end up becoming friends online (picture something like A Cinderella Story with Hillary Duff and Chad Michael Murray).

 **Pairing:** Kaiba x OC

* * *

 **Vampire_lady26:** Okay, so besides kicking ass at Duel Monsters, what else do you like to do?

 **BEWDragon:** I like building things. Tinkering with devices…taking them apart and learning how they fit back together.

 **Vampire_lady26:** Interesting! That's a pretty cool hobby to have. Maybe someday you'll create something and become famous lol

 **BEWDragon:** That might happen sooner rather than later. I've got some pretty advanced ideas in the works.

 **BEWDragon:** What about you? What do you like to do?

 **Vampire_lady26:** I like to write. It's like my escape from the world because I create an entirely different one with words.

 **BEWDragon:** I guess, in a way, you could say technology is my escape, too.

* * *

Although Kaiba refused to participate in the conversation that was taking place on the limo ride over to the game shop, he couldn't help but listen to the conversation. Mokuba was drilling Dani with questions – asking where she lived in America, why she moved back here, etc. Mokuba genuinely wanted to get to know her and, though he would never admit it, Kaiba wanted to know more about her, too.

The conversation was interrupted when Dani's cell phone starting ringing. She dug around in her purse but couldn't seem to reach it, and by the time she did retrieve it, she missed the call. "Crap," she muttered. "I forgot that my brother was supposed to pick me up from your office…like an hour ago. He's probably so mad."

"I'm sure once you explain the circumstances, he won't be mad anymore," Mokuba said reassuringly. "Besides, now he's getting Kaiba Corp's smartest employee to fix the problem!"

Dani appreciated the positivity, but rolled her eyes at that last bit. _He may be smart, but he's an arrogant asshole_ , she thought.

When the limo came to a halt outside the game shop, Dani's bag went flying off the seat, causing a couple of her Duel Monsters cards to spill out of the bag. "Wow, you play Duel Monsters, too?" Mokuba asked, crawling on the ground to help her pick up her cards. "Maybe some time you and my brother can have a duel. Although, to be fair, he's pretty much the best player around."

"There's only one duelist who can defeat me, and it's definitely not her," Kaiba sneered, exiting the limo.

Annoyed with his comment, Dani scrambled out of the limo to chase after him. "How would you know? You've never even seen me duel," she protested.

He smirked. "I'll admit you're smarter than Wheeler, which actually isn't saying much, but you're still just an amateur as far as I'm concerned."

Oblivious to the tension between the two, Mokuba ran ahead of them and gawked at the sight of the massive new game shop. "Your family owns this place?" he asked, glancing back at Dani with a huge grin. "You've gotta let me have a sneak preview before it opens. It looks so cool!"

"Of course, Mokuba," Dani said, shooting Kaiba a smirk. "It's the _least_ I could do since your brother is going out of his way to help me in my time of need."

Once the automatic doors slid open, they saw Duke standing by the front desk. Dani entered slowly, dragging her feet and dreading the unpleasant conversation she was sure to have with Duke. The Kaiba brothers, on the other hand, stood still, surprised to find out that Dani and Duke were identical twins.

"Let me guess, this is supposed to be your evil twin brother?" Kaiba asked, his words filled with mockery.

"He's not evil," Dani shot back. "He's just annoyed, which is probably one of the only emotions you ever feel."

Duke had just gotten off the phone and slammed it down on the desk. "Where the hell have you been?" he asked, running over to her.

"Things got a little…complicated when I went to Kaiba Corp," she said, laughing awkwardly. "Sorry, I know you must've been worried…"

"Of course I was! So, what happened? Did you get someone to come over?"

Not caring for Duke's ignorance, Kaiba stepped forward. "Your sister snuck into my company, which alerted my security team. It took a while to clear the security alerts and determine why she was there. Do you want your arena fixed or not? I'd rather not waste any more of my time tonight."

Duke shot Kaiba a dirty look before directing his attention back to Dani. "You're telling me that out of the hundreds of employees that work at Kaiba Corp, Seto Kaiba was the only one available to work on this? That's embarrassing," he jeered.

Upset with Duke's response to the situation, Dani said, "What the hell is your problem, Duke? This whole evening has been a nightmare, but at least I got someone – apparently, the best person for the job – from Kaiba Corp to come help."

"She's right, you know," a voice said from behind one of the empty shelves. "Seto Kaiba is quite the talented individual. His company was recommended by Pegasus, himself."

Any fiery anger that Dani had felt moments ago extinguished faster than a flame being blown out at the sound of _that_ voice. In fact, she could've sworn that the temperature dropped at least ten degrees as shivers ran down her spine.

Duke rolled his eyes. "I _know_ who he is, Dad. I just don't get why Pegasus thinks so highly of him…it seems like he can't make anything right unless it involves Duel Monsters."

"Enough of this family drama," Kaiba bellowed. "If you expect me to do anything here tonight, I suggest you cut the side comments and let me do my work."

Without another word, Kaiba stormed down the hall to the Dungeon Dice Monsters arena with Mokuba trailing after him. Much to her surprise, Dani found herself wanting to follow him, too. Somehow, she felt safer standing next to him than she did standing in a room with her own family.

"That boy needs to control his temper. It could be his undoing someday," Mr. Devlin said, stepping out of the shadows. He looked more like Duke and Dani's grandfather than their father. His long grey hair framed the sides of his weathered face. His appearance may shock most people, but Dani wasn't at all surprised. It was just how she remembered him.

"Just like how your addiction to gaming and gambling was your undoing?" she shot back.

He feigned a hurt expression, moving forward until he was standing between them. "You may not agree with my past actions, and believe me, I have my regrets, but together as a _family_ we can right those wrongs. We can have our revenge."

Dani laughed bitterly. "Is that supposed to make me feel better? Let's get one thing straight, I don't want any part of your pathetic plans for vengeance. I didn't come back to Japan for you; I came back for Duke."

The moment she made eye contact with her brother, she knew he was going to give some elaborate speech that was supposed to convince her to come home, to start over. But she didn't want to hear any of that, so she stormed off before he had the chance.

* * *

While Kaiba was testing the arena to determine what the problem was, he felt as though he were operating on auto-pilot. Although he'd never played Dungeon Dice Monsters, he knew enough about it to figure out how to make a move, which was what needed to be done to assess the problem. His body was going through the motions – rolling the dice until he got the right summoning crests – but his mind was focused on Dani. For some reason, he couldn't stop seeing the image of her frozen in place with a fear stricken look on her face. He recalled that she didn't get along with her father – but there was _clearly_ more to the story.

He wondered what had happened to her, which inevitably caused his own unfortunate memories of Gozaburo to resurface. Not wanting to stroll down memory lane, he shook his head in attempt to clear his thoughts and the tossed the dice. Finally, he rolled the right summoning crests. He placed the dice on a portion of the grid and watched as the square flashed a few times and then went dark. He determined it was simply a malfunction in the holographic projector and hopped off the platform.

Opening one of the control panels, Kaiba noticed that one of the gears had been purposely unscrewed. _Ha,_ he thought, feeling a little relieved. _I knew there was no way my products would be damaged on their own._ But that beget another question – who tampered with the arena?

While Kaiba was busy working, Mokuba decided to sneak out and explore more of the shop. He had to admit, once this place opened, it was going to be amazing. There were arenas for Duel Monsters and for Duke's new game. There were rooms for arcade video games and even tables for playing board games. Just before he was going to turn the corner into the "store" aspect of the game shop, he heard something slam on the ground. Approaching with caution, he eased around the corner until he saw Dani. She was sitting on the ground next to a stack of boxes. It looked like she was stocking the shelves, but stopped for whatever reason. When he got a little closer, Mokuba heard her sniffling, which meant she must've been crying.

"H-hey Dani," he said, patting her on the back. "What's wrong?"

Startled by his sudden appearance, she scrambled to her feet and used the back of her hand to quickly wipe away any stray tears. "Oh hey Mokuba. I'm fine I was just…trying to stock some of these shelves. What're you up to? I figured you'd be hanging out with Kaiba while he worked."

Trying to think of what he could say to boost her spirits, he replied, "Well, I was watching him, but then he sent me to see if you'd want to watch, too. That way if anything goes wrong again, you might be able to fix it yourself."

"Good point," she said, laughing softly. "I'm sure after today, he'll never want to come back here again."

Together, they walked in silence and returned to the Dungeon Dice Monsters arena. Dani stood at a distance initially, watching with intrigue as Kaiba worked diligently.

Since he appeared more approachable than usual, she took a chance and got a little closer. "Mind if I watch?" she asked.

Kaiba, who had heard Mokuba leave and then return a few minutes later, assumed that he and Mokuba were the still the only ones in the room. Normally so calm, cold, and confident, it was unlike him to be so jumpy, yet for some reason her sudden appearance caused him to hit his head on the panel door. "I prefer to work alone," he replied, quickly regaining his composure.

"You _are_ working alone," she smirked. "I'm simply watching."

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'm almost done, anyway."

She felt oddly comforted as she watched him. His air of arrogance and harsh glares were replaced with a more relaxed posture and a look of pure determination once he returned to his work.

Genuinely wanting to learn more about how Kaiba's tech creates the holograms, Dani barraged him with a bunch of questions – what does this do? Why do these gears look different than those? At first she was upset that he was literally ignoring her and her questions, but then she noticed how his frustration grew with each ignored question she asked, which amused her.

Admittedly, Kaiba _was_ growing extremely annoyed – for the third time that day. _If I answer one question, maybe she will finally shut up_ , he thought. So, he waited for her next inevitable question, answered it, and then enjoyed the silence that followed. But it all felt too easy to him. He stole a quick glance at her and saw that she was watching what he was doing with a genuine interest.

Whenever Kaiba worked lately, it was usually either business-related on a computer or overseeing a team of technicians trying to give life to his ideas. It had been such a long time since he got hands-on with a project like this. And for whatever reason, he wanted to share his knowledge with her…maybe even show off his knowledge a little. She normally looked at him with such hesitation and a hint of bitterness. But now – she seemed to looked at him with admiration.

After giving an unprompted explanation, earning a small smile of excitement from Dani, Kaiba scooted over a little so that she could have better access to the panel. "Here," he said, "it's easier to just show you, rather than waste more time with words."

The moment both of their hands touched the last gear that needed to be tweaked, a spark shot through their arms, causing them to recoil. Kaiba was quick to blame the machinery, but Dani knew it was something more. It happened the exact moment their _hands_ touched, which happened before they touched the gear. Despite Kaiba sounding so certain, his gaze lingered on her as the electric jolt still seemed to crawl across his flesh.

"How much longer is this going to take?" Duke asked, walking toward them and looking incredibly irritated.

"If you hadn't interrupted, we would've just finished," Kaiba sneered, quickly making the last adjustment and closing the panel. He still had some dice in his pocket from when he first started working on the arena, so he took them out of his pocket and chucked them at Duke. "It's done. See for yourself."

"About damn time," he muttered, walking past them and up onto the player platform. He rolled the dice and dimensioned his summoning crest, causing a Bomb Lizard to appear on the grid.

Satisfied with the results, Duke ended the game and hopped off the platform. "Thanks for fixing it," he said through gritted teeth. Of course, he was thankful that the problem was resolved in time for opening day, but he didn't care for how long the repair took...or the unnecessary security complications that Kaiba put his sister through. "I'm going to check the other two DDM arenas and then lock up for the night."

"Why don't you let me do all that?" Dani blurted out. "I mean...it would give me a chance to become more familiar with the dice and I could finish some of the stocking I started earlier."

Both Duke _and_ Kaiba gave her skeptical looks. "Won't your friend be worried about you? I'm sure she expected you to be back by now."

Dani waved him off with a dismissive wave. "What kind of friend do you think I am?! I've already told her it's gonna be a late night for me. Her mom will come get me when I'm ready."

Duke still didn't feel comfortable with the situation, but he was tired and knew that between school and shop prep, tomorrow would be another busy day. "Alright, fine," he conceded, tossing the keys to her. "See you in the morning, sis."

Much to Dani's surprise, the Kaiba brothers didn't leave after Duke, as she would have expected. "You're going to need some help checking those arenas, right?" Mokuba asked, eagerly eying the dice in Dani's hand.

Dani grinned, appreciating the assistance. "Absolutely!" she replied, dropping a few dice in his hands. "Alright so you take the arenas on the left side of the hall, and I'll take the ones on the right." She turned to face Kaiba, who looked predictably peeved. "And Kaiba, you can just continue standing there, looking all pouty."

Mokuba shared in Dani's sense of humor and laughed. Kaiba, however, did not find any humor in the situation and just rolled his eyes. "Stop talking like you're in charge…and I'm not pouting. I just want this god-forsaken day to be over."

Knowing that it was nearly 10 p.m., Dani decided to cut the jokes and just finish up the task at hand. Oddly enough, all the other arenas were perfectly functional, which caused her to wonder why anything would've been wrong with the first one. _It is weird…and I just have this bad feeling in my gut about the whole situation, but at least Kaiba fixed the arena so it shouldn't break again._

Once Dani finished checking her portion of the arenas, she stood at the entrance of the stock room and waited for Mokuba to wrap up his. She could tell that he was having fun with it, so she felt no need to rush him. "That was awesome!" he exclaimed, returning the dice. "You definitely have to invite me back sometime so I can play the game for real."

"For sure," Dani nodded, giving him a thumbs up. "Well…I know today has been a little rough, but I appreciate both of you coming here to help."

While Kaiba just grunted in response, Mokuba smiled. "Glad we could help. But Dani, aren't you gonna go home? It's getting late."

She laughed awkwardly. "Uhh…I'll be leaving soon, I just have to finish putting a few more things on the shelves," she said, gesturing toward a stack of boxes.

Mokuba may have been fooled by the excuse, but Kaiba's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You're unpacking boxes labelled 'Dani's bedroom' for the store?"

 _Curse his impeccable intelligence_ , Dani thought, inwardly groaning. Normally, she would continue lying, but something told her it wouldn't work on Kaiba. "It's only temporary, but…this is where I'm living at the moment."

"But what about your brother and your dad? Why don't you live with them?" Mokuba asked. Kaiba could already guess the answer to those questions based on her rigid response to her father when they first arrived at the shop.

"Let's just say I don't really get along with my dad. But you gotta keep this a secret. Duke thinks I'm staying with a friend."

"Your secret's safe with us," Mokuba reassured.

"Look," Kaiba cut in, "if we're finished here, then let's get going, Mokuba."

Dani crossed her arms and leaned against the stacked boxes. "I'm surprised you've lingered this long."

* * *

The Kaiba Corp limousine pulled around the corner just as they reached the end of the stairs. Mere seconds after sitting down, Mokuba said, "I feel so bad for Dani…her family's not the greatest and she's sleeping on a blow-up mattress in that cold storage room…"

"It is an unfortunate situation," Kaiba agreed, "but it's not our problem, Mokuba. We've done more than enough to help her today."

"But think about how stressful today must've been for her!" he protested. "You can be really intimidating, you know, and I'm sure experiencing that after her first day going to school in a different country was kinda intense."

As annoying as she may be, there _was_ something about that girl that Kaiba felt…attracted to. He thought back on the moment that their hands touched when he was giving the demonstration… _Damn it I can't believe I'm doing this._

"Roland," Kaiba barked.

"Y-yes sir?" Roland said through the car intercom.

"Turn around and return to the game shop."

* * *

Once Kaiba's car was out of sight, Dani locked the front door and changed into her pajamas. As she stared at her Chemistry textbook and attempted to answer the questions on her homework worksheet, she found herself more vested in reflecting on this crazy, yet exciting day. _I mean, sure, my life in California was exciting, but not_ nearly _as exciting as today has been. And it was all thanks to Seto Kaiba…maybe he's not as bad as I thought he was._

Realizing that there was no way she was going to successfully finish her homework tonight, Dani slammed the textbook shut and laid down. Just before her body could relax, she heard the stockroom doorknob jiggling. Panic spread throughout her body as she sprung up from the air mattress with her blanket wrapped protectively around her and hid behind the boxes. _Oh God, what if it's_ him _. If Duke has keys to the place, I'm sure_ he _has keys, too._

She stood frozen in suspense, watching with wide eyes as the door slowly opened and revealed…Kaiba.

Now more aggravated than afraid, Dani glared at her intruder. "What the hell are you doing?!" she asked. "Trying to get me back for when I broke into your company?"

"Right, like I would waste my time with such pettiness," he sneered. "Besides, anyone could've broken into this place thanks to your sad excuse of a security system."

"Well _surely_ you didn't go through all the trouble of breaking in to criticize the security here. What do you want?"

He paused before answering, looking as though the words were physically hard for him to produce. "Look – today has been a shitty day for everyone involved and I'd rather not repeat any of it again. Perhaps if it ends on a more positive note, we can move past it."

Dani frowned. _Where is this coming from? I bet Mokuba guilt-tripped him in the car_. "Okay…so what're you suggesting?"

"Mokuba and I want you to come stay with us tonight – but _only_ for tonight."

* * *

 **A/N:** This is where things start to get really interesting ;) Next chapter should be posted by the end of the weekend!

Leave a comment and tell me what you think so far! I love reading the comments and seeing that people are interested in the story :)


	5. An Act of Kindness

Frozen by Your Side

By: Darkest Ember

Chapter 5: An Act of Kindness

* * *

 **Summary:** Dani Devlin is Duke Devlin's estranged twin sister. When they were younger, their father had asked a local game shop owner, Solomon Muto, to teach him to be a game master. They end up playing a dangerous game that ages their father 50 years in one night. From that moment on, he becomes obsessed with vengeance and plans to use Duke as a means to that revenge. Unable to save them both, their mother escapes with Dani and moves to America. A few years later, Dani starts to see the negative changes in her brother and decides to move back to Domino during her junior year of high school to save him. There, she meets Yugi and the gang, who all share her love for Duel Monsters. She hopes that they can also help Duke return to his old self. And then there's Seto Kaiba. Dani doesn't exactly get off on the right foot with him, but perhaps he is the one who can change _her_ for the better.

Takes place between the Duelist Kingdom and Dungeon Dice Monster arcs. Inspired by the manga storyline that shows "Mr. Clown" (Duke's dad) as the reason why Duke challenges Yugi.

Each chapter will start with a foreshadowing segment of Dani and Kaiba's online chat...neither of them know the true identity of who they're talking to, but end up becoming friends online (picture something like A Cinderella Story with Hillary Duff and Chad Michael Murray).

 **Pairing:** Kaiba x OC

* * *

Vampire_lady26: I feel like it's been forever since I could just sit down and watch a movie…you know the whole set up – surround sound, big screen, comfy couch, popcorn, candy, etc.

BEWDragon: You must be REALLY busy if it's been "forever" since you've been able to enjoy a movie. No one's that busy.

Vampire_lady26: Hmm guess my sarcasm sensor must've been turned off . you knew what I meant though. My life has just been so hectic that the thought of sitting down and relaxing seems impossible.

BEWDragon: Key word being 'seems.' It's not impossible. If you could watch a movie right now, what would it be?

Vampire_lady26: Such a complicated question lol I'm not sure…my movie collection ranges from grizzly horror flicks to Disney movies.

BEWDragon: That's a weird combination.

Vampire_lady26: Guess that makes me a weird person lol what's your collection like?

BEWDragon: I don't really watch movies…I'm also a very busy person.

Vampire_lady26: "No one's that busy."

BEWDragon: Touché.

* * *

The silence that followed Kaiba's suggestion felt suffocating. Dani was hesitant to say anything, fearing that at any moment he was going to start laughing and admit that it was just a joke. It wouldn't be that far of a stretch – Kaiba didn't seem like the type of person to just invite someone he barely knows into his house. _Actually, he doesn't seem like he'd invite someone he's known for a long time into his house either_ , she thought, snickering to herself.

But after a few more seconds passed without any indication of jest in Kaiba's icy eyes, Dani had to accept that this was happening. "You're serious?" she asked, voice cracking a little and betraying her inner doubts.

Kaiba didn't see what the big deal was and rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it. So, are you coming or not?"

She took a moment to glance around at her dismal living arrangements and agreed. "Just let me grab my backpack," she said, dropping the blanket and scrambling to get her things together.

Caught up in the moment, she'd forgotten that she had only been wearing a tank top and shorts as her pajamas. When she spun around with her crammed backpack slung over her shoulder, she saw that Kaiba had been staring at her and then turned away, almost as though he was embarrassed. Feeling a little exposed, she grabbed her oversized Disneyland sweatshirt and tied it around her waist. "Ready when you are," she said, trying to discard the awkwardness.

"Y-you're leaving like that?" he asked, resisting the urge to look directly at her.

"Yes…?" she said, confused. "It's nighttime…I'm in my pajamas…why would I change?"

"Just…forget it," he said gruffly. As he turned away, Dani saw that his cheeks were pink. Finding this incredibly amusing, she dramatically dropped her bag just before they reached the door and pretended to be in deep thought.

"Actually, it probably _will_ be a little chilly outside." She made sure she was standing in his direct line of sight before unwrapping her sweatshirt from her waist and slowly pulled it over her head. Since it was probably two sizes too big, it totally covered her shorts and made it seem like she was only wearing the sweatshirt. "Is something wrong, Kaiba?" she smirked, faking an innocent tone.

Catching onto her scheme, Kaiba became even more frustrated that he walked into her trap. "Let's go," he muttered.

When Dani opened the limo door, Mokuba practically leaped out at her. "Hey Dani, funny seeing you so soon," he laughed. "Are you ready for the sleepover?"

"It's not a sleepover, Mokuba," Kaiba cut in. "We're just letting her sleep somewhere other than a storage room for a night – that's it."

"Your kindness _truly_ knows no bounds," Dani said, shooting him a dirty look.

* * *

As the limo sped along the nearly empty streets of Domino City, Dani sat rigidly in the corner with her nails digging into the leather seats. Any confidence that she'd felt before leaving had completely disappeared. _Thank God it's dark out so they can't see how freaked I am_ , she thought. _What are their parents going to think when they bring some random girl home for the night?_

Once the limo approached a circular driveway, Dani peered out the window and nearly felt her heart stop beating. _This is where they live?! This place looks bigger than our school…_

As she looked up at all the gleaming windows and massive pillars, she remembered somewhat better times, when her family had an incredibly nice house with a sprawling yard and grand interior décor. Most of the Devlin family wealth could be accredited to Mr. Devlin's gambling and his superior gaming skills. In the beginning, he was wise with his pursuits and never partook in any match he didn't think he could handle. Luck seemed to be on his side as their wealth continued to grow.

Duke was always their father's favorite twin because he shared his interest in gaming. Of course, Dani also enjoyed games and would try to butt in to their private training sessions, but she just wasn't as good as Duke, so her father didn't find her "worthy" of learning his skills. Sometimes it felt like she didn't even exist to her father – like Duke was his only child. Admittedly, that used to upset her as a child, but now, she'd give anything to distance herself from that monster.

"If you think it looks good on the outside, you should see the inside," Kaiba said, effectively pulling her out of her reverie.

With her mind still focused on the hauntings of the past and her fears of the present, Dani didn't even bother to retort. She silently followed them inside and discovered that Kaiba was indeed correct – the inside was even more impressive. The foyer had huge granite tiles on the floor and a sparkling chandelier overhead. As they stepped further into the mansion, Dani saw a 72" TV hanging above a huge marble fireplace. The wall next to the fireplace was covered in columns of windows that were framed with heavy-looking drapes. She glanced up at the two-story ceiling and saw yet another chandelier.

"Isn't it lonely living in such a massive house?" she asked, suddenly noticing how eerily silent it was.

Although he agreed with her, Mokuba laughed it off and said, "It's much livelier during the day when the cooks and maids are here."

"But what about your parents? Don't they live here too?" Dani asked, refusing to believe that these two live in this massive mansion alone.

That question must've struck a chord because Mokuba couldn't laugh his way out of responding. Kaiba sensed the negative change in Mokuba's demeanor and decided to cut in before the conversation became any more dismal. "Our parents died…a long time ago," he said softly.

Kaiba was showing yet another emotional side that Dani didn't think he could have. Now, his sapphire eyes weren't darkened with disdain – they were darkened with _sorrow_. She wanted to apologize for bringing up the difficult subject, but decided it was best to just drop it all together. Her heart ached as she imagined what sadness they must deal with on a regular basis.

Moreover, she couldn't believe she thought that his after school job was at some fast food restaurant. There was no mysterious relative running Kaiba Corp – _Kaiba_ was running the company.

As she sunk into the comforting leather couch, she hadn't noticed that Kaiba had gone into the kitchen to make himself a cup of coffee. Mokuba, however, was still in the room, trying to quickly turn on the TV before Kaiba would tell him to go to bed.

"If he has all of this, why would he _willingly_ go to a crappy public school?" she asked, mostly to herself, but Mokuba heard her.

After turning on Netflix, he plopped next to her on the couch. "Seto didn't really have much of a childhood growing up. After our parents died, we were sent to an orphanage. One day, a bigshot CEO visited the orphanage and Seto challenged him to a chess game, stating that if he won, the CEO would have to adopt us. Obviously, he won and we thought that things would get better once we escaped the orphanage, but we were wrong. Gozaburo was a really mean guy and he forced Seto to study all the time to prepare him for taking over Kaiba Corp one day. I think he still goes to school for the same reason I do – for just a shred of normalcy."

"Oh my God," she murmured. "I had no idea…"

Just when she was starting to feel sorry for him, he joined them in the living room and totally ruined the moment. "Mokuba, I told you this isn't a sleepover. Why do you have the TV on like we're about to watch a movie?"

She glanced over at him and saw that he'd removed his white trench coat and was now just wearing his black turtleneck and pants, which were surprisingly tight-fitting. Shaking her head to clear her mind, she noticed that he was holding a coffee cup. "Why are you drinking coffee at like 11 o'clock at night?" she interrupted.

"Some of us have to make up for all the time they lost today," he said, narrowing his eyes at her over the rim of his coffee cup. "Besides, I'm sure you have homework. Aren't you going to do that?"

She snorted. "Yeah, right. I'll just play the 'I'm new to this country card' tomorrow and then offer to turn it in a day late."

He turned his attention to his brother. "Mokuba, don't follow her bad example. Did you finish your homework?"

"Way ahead of you, bro," he grinned, then gave Dani a sympathetic smile. She sat there with her mouth agape for a moment, shocked that not only did Kaiba insult her, but she was bested by a child.

Not wanting the insults to continue or worsen, Dani was quick to change the subject. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm not nearly as tired as I thought I'd be. Why don't we watch a movie," she suggested, gesturing at the glowing red Netflix logo on the screen.

Before Kaiba could predictably object, Mokuba leapt for the remote and asked, "What kinda movie do you want to watch?"

Dani smirked. "How about something scary? I mean…Halloween is less than a month away."

Mokuba looked hesitant, but Kaiba _actually_ appeared to consider it. _It doesn't really matter what movie they pick,_ he thought. _I've got more important things to tend to…although it would be funny to see her act all tough and then be terrified after the movie._ "You two can figure it out. I need to finish my work," he said pointedly.

"Your loss," Dani muttered, scooping up the remote and browsing the horror section.

* * *

Even though he was finally in his solitary space with nothing but his computer and coffee nearby, Kaiba was still struggling to stay focused. At least half an hour had passed, and yet he felt as though all he'd done is re-read the same analytics and stared blankly at the graphics regarding his duel disk trials without actually accomplishing anything.

After drinking the last of his coffee, Kaiba slammed the mug down a little harder than he intended and ended up cracking it. "Shit," he muttered under his breath, tossing the cracked cup into the trash can.

He didn't understand it – everything had been going according to plan. His duel disk was nearly ready for mass production, and with that, he was sure that he could come up with some sort of publicity stunt – maybe a tournament so big that it would make Pegasus' Duelist Kingdom stint seem like a pathetic joke. But ever since he met Dani Devlin, everything that he'd been working so hard for seems to be falling apart.

Perhaps he was being dramatic – after all one day of set-backs can't possibly ruin everything, but it sure felt like it in this particular moment of perpetual frustration. Refusing to end this night on an unsuccessful note, he went downstairs to get another cup of coffee.

Mokuba and Dani were so engrossed in the movie, which looked like some stupid serial killer flick, that they didn't even notice him slip past them into the kitchen. _This is just too good of an opportunity to pass up_ , he thought, smirking to himself as he crept up behind the couch. Sensing a predictable jump-scare scene approaching, Kaiba waited until they were completely tense with anticipation before bending down and uttering a single "BOO!"

While Mokuba merely screamed at the top of his lungs, Dani got a little more proactive. Using the throw pillow she'd been clutching, she spun around and whacked the assailant – aka Kaiba. Kaiba then let out a shriek of his own as his freshly prepared _hot_ coffee spilled all over him.

The room became totally silent, except for the movie still playing in the background. Kaiba stood still as the coffee dripped off him and his face grew crimson with anger. Not knowing what to do, Dani ducked down and waited for him to say something. "Turn the movie off and go to bed," he said lowly.

There was no room for negotiation in his dead serious tone, yet Dani still found the strength to protest. "…but the movie's not over yet," she said sheepishly.

"Do I look like I care?" he shot back, grabbing a roll of paper towel from the kitchen.

"You never look like you care," she muttered under her breath, earning a small chuckle from Mokuba.

After glancing at her phone and realizing it was past midnight now, Dani decided maybe it would be best to just put this unusual day to rest. Mokuba seemed to agree as he offered to wipe up the floor so Kaiba could change out of his wet clothes. Despite this setback, Dani doubted that Kaiba was actually going to go to bed, so she decided to go into the kitchen and make him a new cup of coffee.

Unsure how he liked his coffee, she decided to just do a standard cup of coffee with a bit of sugar and cream. When Kaiba returned, he was wearing a duplicate outfit – same black shirt and pants. It took an immense amount of self-control for Dani to resist making a comment about his apparently limited wardrobe. Instead, she held out the mug as a peace offering of sorts, but he just stood there looking at her as though she were stupid.

"This is the part where you take the cup and say, 'Thanks Dani,'" she said in an over-the-top cheery tone to mask her ever-increasing frustration with him.

He smirked. "Now why would I thank you for anything when it was your fault that my other cup spilled?"

Dani could've sworn she felt a vein about to pop in her neck. _What is this guy's deal?!_ She thought angrily. _Oh wait, he's probably not used to people actually doing something nice for him._ "Okay, obviously, I feel bad about what happened…that's why I made you a new cup!"

She doubted that her words alone swayed him, but he ended up taking the cup. He looked down at it with hesitation, prompting her to ask what else could possibly be wrong.

"I drink my coffee black," he said matter-of-factly.

She laughed bitterly. " _Of course_ you do. I don't know how you would've expected me to know that, but at the same time it makes perfect sense – a stiff drink for a stiff person."

Letting out an annoyed huff, she stormed around the couch and plopped down on the ottoman. With any luck maybe she could still catch the end of the movie. Mokuba seemed to share her hopes, since he remained down there even after Kaiba had retreated to his office.

After the movie ended, Mokuba was sitting very still with wide eyes. Dani didn't think that the movie was that bad, but maybe Mokuba hadn't seen many horror movies. "Here," she offered, "why don't you let me walk you to your room? That way no freaky killers can get you."

"I-I'm not scared!" he protested. "Besides, you'd have to walk upstairs with me so I can show you where your room is."

Dani half-expected Kaiba to be waiting at the top of the stairs to tell her that she'll actually be sleeping on the couch – she wouldn't put it past him. Luckily, he was nowhere to be found as they walked up the winding grand staircase. With all the lights on in the hall, Mokuba's fear from the movie seemed to subside as he practically skipped down the hall. He stopped in front of a closed door. "You can have this room here. It's right between my room and Seto's room. That way if you get scared you'll know that we're both here to protect you," he said, grinning.

"That's very sweet, Mokuba," she said, stepping into the room, "but I doubt Kaiba would want to protect me."

"You'd be surprised," he replied. "Seto isn't as mean and cold-hearted as he acts, I promise. You just have to get to know the real him."

* * *

For what felt like the hundredth time today, Kaiba found himself struggling to stay focused. He stared at the cup of steaming coffee, knowing that he needed the caffeine. Once he finally brought himself to take a sip, he felt pleasantly surprised. It tasted _better_ than his usual cup. With the return of his caffeine crutch, he sped read through his reports and made notes regarding what would need to be done at the office tomorrow. Surprisingly, he accomplished more in that hour than he had the previous two hours he'd been upstairs – but he refused to give any credit to Dani…or her coffee.

Almost as if on cue, Kaiba heard a noise from down the hall. It was well past midnight now, so if she was keeping Mokuba up this late, he was going to be upset. When he opened the door, he half expected to see all the lights on and the two of them doing something stupid. Instead, the hall was pitch black and all the bedroom doors were closed. He noticed that the TV had been turned off as he walked past the balcony that overlooked the living room.

 _What the hell was making that sound if everyone's asleep?_ He wondered, feeling a brief though unignorably present chill run down his spine. He rolled his eyes as he walked down the hall – there's no way some stupid horror movie was going to spook Seto Kaiba.

As he progressed, he noticed that the sound was coming from one of the many extra bedrooms on this floor. Once he realized it was the room between his and Mokuba's, he knew this was where Dani was sleeping. Slowly opening the door, Kaiba peeked inside and figured out what had been making the noise. Dani was practically flailing in her sleep. Many of the pillows that had been stacked on the bed were now strewn across the floor, and the oversized duvet was slipping off the bottom of the bed.

Initially, Kaiba wanted to laugh to himself and assume that this was a direct result of the movie Dani and Mokuba watched, but he knew better than that. He knew that something sinister had happened in her life…in her family…and he was willing to bet that's what was causing this nightmare.

He wasn't quite sure what possessed him to do it, but he found himself going next door to his own room in search of something that might make her feel better. He told himself that he didn't feel sympathy for her, but rather he was _sympathizing_ with her. He knew first-hand what it was like to live with a horrible father.

After a few minutes of searching in the dim lamplight, Kaiba found what he was looking for. At first glance, it just looked like a worn navy blue blanket. It had thinned out over the years, but it was still incredibly soft. He hadn't slept with it in years, but it was one of the few things that held great sentimental value to him. This blanket was one of the last physical memories he had of his real parents.

Carrying it over to her room, Kaiba still couldn't quite understand why he was doing this, why he cared so much to go through all this effort. He unfolded the blanket and placed it over her. Perhaps it was the sudden contact, or maybe it was something else, but he noticed that the strained look on her face was starting to soften. He lingered in the room a little longer until she seemed to be more peacefully asleep. He glanced back at her one last time before returning to his room to finally get some sleep after this incredibly long and unusual day.

* * *

 **A/N:** Aww Kaiba DOES care :') But will his random acts of kindness continue tomorrow when everything goes back to normal at school? Also, how do you think Duke will react when he finds out his sister spent the night with Kaiba? Lots of drama in the next chapter, so stay tuned!

 **THANK YOU:** Guest, Anonymous722002, .kitten, and presea221 for the comments so far :) but an extra special shoutout to presea221 for commenting on every chapter. I always look forward to your comments lol


	6. Back to Reality

Frozen by Your Side

By: Darkest Ember

Chapter 6: Back to Reality

* * *

 **Summary:** Dani Devlin is Duke Devlin's estranged twin sister. When they were younger, their father had asked a local game shop owner, Solomon Muto, to teach him to be a game master. They end up playing a dangerous game that ages their father 50 years in one night. From that moment on, he becomes obsessed with vengeance and plans to use Duke as a means to that revenge. Unable to save them both, their mother escapes with Dani and moves to America. A few years later, Dani starts to see the negative changes in her brother and decides to move back to Domino during her junior year of high school to save him. There, she meets Yugi and the gang, who all share her love for Duel Monsters. She hopes that they can also help Duke return to his old self. And then there's Seto Kaiba. Dani doesn't exactly get off on the right foot with him, but perhaps he is the one who can change _her_ for the better.

Takes place between the Duelist Kingdom and Dungeon Dice Monster arcs. Inspired by the manga storyline that shows "Mr. Clown" (Duke's dad) as the reason why Duke challenges Yugi.

Each chapter will start with a foreshadowing segment of Dani and Kaiba's online chat...neither of them know the true identity of who they're talking to, but end up becoming friends online (picture something like A Cinderella Story with Hillary Duff and Chad Michael Murray).

 **Pairing:** Kaiba x OC

* * *

Vampire_lady26: So, you said you have a brother, right? Is he older or younger?

BEWDragon: Much younger. Sometimes I feel more like a parent than a brother because I'm always looking out for him and taking care of him.

Vampire_lady26: I guess that's the burden of being an older sibling :P my brother is just barely older than me, but I still make him assume all those big bro responsibilities.

BEWDragon: Don't get me wrong – I love being the big brother. It's just a little…stressful sometimes.

Vampire_lady26: I completely understand. But you sound like a great brother, and he's lucky to have you!

* * *

Normally, when harsh rays of sunlight poured into her room, Dani would pull the covers over her head and protest the beginning of the day. Fortunately for her, that wasn't a problem she had to deal with in the month or so since she'd been sleeping in the cold, windowless stock room.

But today was different.

She didn't feel bothered by the light at all. In fact, she'd be perfectly content lying in this oversized bed all day. Between the stack of fluffy pillows, which felt like sleeping on clouds, and this soft blanket she was snuggled under, Dani was sure this was the best bed she'd ever slept in. Nevertheless, she knew that if the sun was out, that still meant that it was time to get up for school.

Rolling over and stretching, Dani finally opened her eyes and immediately noticed a clashing navy blue blanket against the otherwise cream-colored linens. _I don't remember seeing this in the bed last night…_ , she thought, absentmindedly running her fingers across the blanket.

As the confusion grew, panic started settling in when Dani also concluded that she had probably overslept. A quick glance at the digital clock on the nightstand indicated she was correct…school was starting in about 30 minutes and she wasn't even out of bed yet!

Scrambling to change into her school uniform, Dani's panic paused for a moment when she realized that Duke was probably waiting for her outside the game shop and wondering where she was. "Shit," she cursed, nearly tripping over the bench at the foot of the bed.

She knew she couldn't tell him that she spent the night at Kaiba's mansion, that would just inspire a string of questions that she wouldn't want to answer.

 _So, if Duke can't take me to school, how the hell am I going to get there?_ She wondered.

The thought of taking the day off _was_ tempting, but she didn't want to ruin her reputation at school two days into the semester. It was already bad enough that half of her homework was incomplete.

Knowing that one way or another, she'd have to go to school, Dani leapt over to the mirror above the dresser, fixed any smudged makeup, and brushed her long black hair. She grinned at her reflection – pleased that she didn't look nearly as bad as usual when she first woke up. Slinging her backpack over her shoulder, she texted with one hand and reached for the doorknob with the other. She _had_ to at least let Duke know that she'd get her own ride to school…as long as Kaiba hadn't already left. "Hey bro," she typed. "I'm running really late today. Sarah's mom is just going to drop me off…so I'll see you in second period."

She had been so engrossed in the text that she hadn't been paying attention to her surroundings once she exited the room. Mere seconds after passing through the doorway, she collided with Kaiba's rock hard chest and completely lost her balance. "This day just keeps getting better and better," she muttered to herself. She already knew Kaiba wasn't going to help her up, so she hopped back to her feet and tried not to be too offended by the harsh glare he was giving her.

"Is running into people something you do on a regular basis?" he sneered.

Not in the mood for his attitude, she held back any nasty retorts and simply smirked. "Nope, guess you're just special."

He didn't appreciate her somewhat back-handed compliment, but chose to let it go. "Whatever," he said dismissively. "Shouldn't you be at school by now?"

She laughed nervously, dreading the thought of having to ask him for a ride. "Actually I should've been there like 20 minutes ago. What's your excuse?"

He walked past her and headed for the stairs. "Being the CEO of a huge company lets you make your own school schedule."

"Must be nice to be _so_ privileged," she mumbled. "But wait, if you're using that as your excuse, then shouldn't something work-related cause you to be late?" From what she could tell, he probably woke up a few minutes before she did; however, he was much better at keeping calm about it.

"I don't have to justify my reasons to you," he said, glancing at her over his shoulder. He grabbed his briefcase off the kitchen table and walked right past her as though she weren't still lingering in his house.

 _Am I seriously going to have to suck-up to him to convince him to give me a ride?_ She thought with an inward groan. But after a few more seconds of deliberating, she thought of a better plan. "You're absolutely right, Kaiba – you don't have to justify your reasons to someone like me," she said in a sickly-sweet voice. "But I still think I benefit most from this situation."

Despite looking at his back, Dani could still envision the eye roll that he was likely doing right this moment. "What the hell are you blabbing about now?" he asked, not bothering to hide the exhaustion in his voice.

"I'll admit it's cool that you get to make your own school schedule, but I'm going to get this entire mansion to myself all day. Hope you don't mind if I raid your fridge."

Dani could've sworn that she saw a vein about to burst in his forehead when he spun around to face her. "And what would possess you to think I'd just let you stay here?"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "How will I get to school?" She could've simply asked him for a ride – but this was far more entertaining.

With impeccable timing, the Kaiba Corp limo pulled into the circular driveway. Kaiba said, "I'll let you ride with me – but this is the _last_ favor I'm going to do for you." Before entering the limo, he placed his arm in front of her, blocking her entrance. "Make sure you have all your things because you're not coming back."

Although she wouldn't let it show, Dani was hurt by his harsh words. She thought they were making some sort of progress as friends. It was as though for every good thing he did, Kaiba had to make some sort of negative remark to counteract the kindness. _God forbid he ever did something nice for someone_ , she thought, silently accepting his invitation to ride with him.

As the limo began driving away from the mansion, Dani stared out the window, refusing to speak to him the rest of the ride. Just before they left the property, though, she felt a chill crawl across her skin. _Was that a freaking_ Blue Eyes White Dragon _fountain?!_ She thought, instantly thinking of her cyber chat buddy.

The thought of Kaiba being the person behind BEWDragon was laughable – they were like two totally different people. She _enjoyed_ having a conversation with whoever BEWDragon was; with Kaiba, as entertaining as it can be, all they ever exchanged was insults and sarcasm, not any meaningful conversations.

 _But what are the chances that out of all the duel monsters, THAT one happens to be in front of his house? No…there's no way it's him. Kaiba loves the game and it makes sense to pick one of the most powerful monsters for his lawn décor, right?_

Riding to school in silence, Dani couldn't think about anything other than the possibility that of all the people in Japan, this arrogant asshole might be her pen pal. She suddenly felt _nervous_ sitting next to him – what if he figures it out too and doesn't like her? Her fingers coiled around the ends of her skirt to stop her fingers from shaking.

She had to take her mind of this; after all, it wasn't worth worrying about until she knew for sure that Seto Kaiba and BEWDragon were one in the same. Instead, she glanced at her watch and saw that homeroom started in ten minutes. She felt both relieved and dismayed to have a real-world problem to focus on. Peering out the window, she had no idea if they were close or not. Of course, she could ask her begrudging fellow passenger, but he had since taken out his laptop and appeared to be furiously typing away on it.

Fortunately, she got the answer on her own once she saw the school loom into view. She stole a glance at Kaiba and wondered what she could say to end this interaction on a positive note.

"So…I know, if given the choice, you probably wouldn't have wanted any of the last 24 hours to happen, but in a way, I'm glad they did. I appreciate everything you did for me, Kaiba," she said with sincerity.

Kaiba hesitated to answer. To be honest, he hadn't expected such a heartfelt expression of gratitude. Admittedly, despite some spells of annoyance, he didn't have a _completely_ terrible time spending all night with Dani. He just couldn't bring himself to admit it aloud. Instead, he replied, "Just get out of the car."

Dani's teary eyes shot up to him, but when she saw that he had been smiling – not smirking –but _smiling_ , she felt her heart skip a beat. _He should do that more often_. "You're such a jerk," she said, laughing as she exited the limo.

As she walked up the stairs to the school, she was surprised to see so many students still outside. On the bright side, at least she wasn't going to be the only late student; on the down side, half the school just watched her and Kaiba get out of the same limo. Naturally, Kaiba noticed the crowd, too. He didn't care what people thought of him, but he also didn't want to fuel their pathetic rumors, so he ducked into the crowd and went in a separate entrance.

Dani didn't _want_ to be saddened by his lack of goodbye, but she couldn't help it. For some unfathomable reason, Kaiba was starting to mean something to her, and she didn't want to lose him so soon.

* * *

To keep herself distracted from all this Kaiba drama, Dani raced up the stairs, determined to at least make it to homeroom on time. Just before she reached the door, Yugi called out her name. She smiled over her shoulder and waved. "Hey, Yugi! Sorry I can't stay and chat…I don't want to be late," she explained, hating herself for sounding like such a nerd.

"There ain't no homeroom today," Joey said, hopping off the cement railing. "We get a spirit assembly instead."

 _That's right!_ She suddenly remembered that there was going to be a special assembly to officially usher in the new school year today. _I was so focused on Kaiba that I completely forgot today was a special schedule. No wonder he was so calm leaving this morning! That whole 'I'm a CEO, I make my own schedule' line was a bunch of bullshit!_ Any sadness that she felt from Kaiba's sudden disappearance was now completely overcome with rage – but she needed to keep calm in front of everyone else.

"I completely forgot," she said, feigning an embarrassed laugh. "Good thing I ran into you guys!"

"Happy to help," Joey grinned. "So, how you likin' Domino so far?"

"So far, so good. I just had a dramatic first day yesterday," she replied, trying her best to keep things vague.

"Speaking of drama," Téa said, leaning in close as though she were about to share a secret. "Did you and Kaiba get out of the same limo?!"

 _Well shit…that didn't take long at all_ , Dani thought, wondering what she could say that would avoid having to explain herself. "I…I was walking to school…well actually more like running to school because I thought I was going to be late…Kaiba pulled over and offered me a ride. I recognized him from a couple of my classes, so I accepted the ride. Beats sprinting to school."

Joey laughed. "I'd rather run to school than ride all the way here with Moneybags."

"That's because he'd probably insult you the whole ride here," Tristan teased.

Joey crossed his arms defensively over his chest. "Eh whateva. I can dish it right back at him."

"Anyway," Yugi laughed, "that was a really nice thing for Kaiba to do. He's usually not like that."

"I probably just looked so pathetic that he couldn't help but give me a lift," Dani joked.

Realizing that she hadn't met Téa, Tristan, or Bakura yet, Dani formally introduced herself. But before she could get to know them better, Duke showed up behind her. "There you are!" he exclaimed.

In response to everyone's surprised and confused expressions, Dani sighed, "And this is my overprotective twin brother, Duke."

"Wow, you guys look _exactly_ alike," Téa exclaimed, letting her gaze linger on Duke.

"Hey, I think I saw you yesterday with all da girls followin' you around," Joey noted.

Duke laughed, though it was more of a condescending gesture. "You're not wrong. The ladies just gravitate toward me," he said, winking at Téa.

Not wanting to endure any more of this awkward exchange, Dani cut in, "Yeah, yeah you're such a chick magnet." She shoved him toward the doors. "I'll see you guys later!"

* * *

The cheesy grin she'd been wearing to assure the others that everything was fine dropped once her and Duke found an abandoned corner near her locker. "Was that really necessary?" she asked, slamming her locker door shut.

Duke casually leaned against the wall of lockers and absent-mindedly tossed some dice in his hand. "Was lying about who brought you to school necessary?" he shot back. His fingers suddenly curled tightly around the dice and he turned to face her with a startlingly dark expression. _Busted_.

"How did you know?" she asked softly.

He scoffed. "How did _I_ know? The whole damn school saw you two pull up in that limo!"

She couldn't understand why everyone was acting like it was such a bad thing. "Why does it matter? He was just helping me out."

"You knew I was on my way to come pick you up," he said, almost sounding offended. "All of this could've been avoided if you'd just move home…"

"I'd rather sleep on the storage room floor in your game shop than live under the same roof as him," she replied, hoping that her voice contained enough disgust to indicate that she would never do something like that…even though that was exactly what she was doing.

"Don't be so dramatic," he muttered. "What were you doing in his car anyway? Why couldn't you just wait for me?"

 _Great, now I have to come up with a different lie to explain things to Duke._ "Well…normally I walk to your shop from Sarah's house, but today I completely overslept and I started running. Kaiba saw me and offered me a ride."

Duke didn't appear to fully believe her, but he also didn't want to continue arguing over something and someone so stupid. "So who's this Sarah anyway? You and I went to the same school before you and Mom moved to America. I don't remember her."

Dani laughed. "Just because we're twins doesn't mean we need to have the same friends."

"Case and point," he sneered, nodding toward Yugi and his friends as they headed toward the assembly hall.

She pinched the bridge of her nose and tried to contain her growing agitation. "They're better than those fan girls that blindly follow you around."

* * *

There were many things that Kaiba loathed, but school spirit assemblies were quickly topping the list. How could the school possibly think that this was a good use of his – or anyone's – time? It didn't bring any of the student body closer together…just look at the nerd herd all clustered together like they always are. Kaiba continued scanning the crowd, which entertained him more than the assembly itself.

Aside from the nerd herd, most of the other students were isolated into their cliché cliques. He didn't realize it at first, but Kaiba was subconsciously scanning the crowd for Dani. Once he spotted her, he no longer had an interest in people-watching. She wasn't sitting alone like he was; she had her brother there with her, although they didn't appear to be enjoying each other's company.

Glancing down at the cold, empty spot next to him on the bleacher, he felt a pang of guilt. Perhaps if he hadn't run off like he did, they would've ended up sitting next to each other and could commiserate during this stupid assembly. _Wait, what the hell is wrong with me? I don't need friends and I don't need her._ Yet despite his best attempts to reassure himself that that was true, he couldn't quite believe it.

The thoughts still plagued him in the following classes – many of which he shared with Dani. He wanted to reach out to her, to make some snarky comment and watch her get all fired up in response. Her courage to stand up to him was admittedly refreshing compared to all the spineless fools that worked for him and the idiotic students that shared classes with him.

In their chemistry class, she saw him in the back of the classroom and purposely sat at a lab table with Joey. He watched as Joey would make some stupid joke that would earn her laughter. Perhaps she wasn't as appealing as he thought she was if she'd rather choose a mutt over him.

Even though he _knew_ this was directly related to the way he treated her once they got to school, Kaiba refused to take the blame. It wasn't his fault, and he didn't care about her. He kept repeating that in his head over and over until it was lunchtime and he could finally get some peaceful solitude in the library. But even that simple solace was being denied – all the computers and desks were being used. With an annoyed huff, he retreated to the cafeteria, where he was fortunate enough to find a table in the corner.

He turned on his laptop and quickly responded to emails before looking over his duel disk plans once more. Today was going to be the day that the prototypes would be complete. _That's what I should be focusing on – not some stupid girl_.

Once his work-related business was finished, Kaiba answered the one email remaining in his inbox. It was from his online "friend." He typed his response and hit send. Usually he would get messages from her throughout the day, but as the lunch hour neared its end, he still hadn't heard back from her. He assumed she also went to school, so maybe she had a different schedule today that prevented her from responding. Truthfully, he was desperate for a response to keep his mind distracted.

A quick glance above his laptop allowed him to find Dani eating with Yugi and the other losers. She seemed like a totally different person around them – always laughing and laid back. He wondered why she wasn't like that around him, but he already knew the answer.

She looked at her phone for a moment or two as though she were reading something. Then, she glanced around the cafeteria like she was looking for someone. Presumably satisfied with her survey, she typed on her phone and then slid it into her pocket as she left a little before the lunch hour ended.

Mere seconds after she had used her phone, Kaiba received an email – it was from Vampire_lady26. Kaiba froze as he stared at the computer screen. It may seem like a coincidence to some people, but Seto Kaiba didn't believe in coincidences.

* * *

After the assembly, Duke didn't spend much time with Dani. He refused to sit with Yugi and the others and couldn't understand what she found so appealing about them in the first place. Didn't she know that Yugi was no 'king of games?' He was just a little cheat that made the world think he defeated the great Maximillian Pegasus. And then there was Joey Wheeler, the chump duelist who thinks that because he ranked semi-high in Duelist Kingdom, he's suddenly a master duelist. The rest of them were just pathetic cheerleaders.

But Duke had some cheerleaders of his own who spent their lunch period fighting over who would buy his food for him.

Since his last period of the day was study hall, Duke had the privilege of roaming the halls and getting to his locker before the swarms of students burst out of the nearby classrooms. Interestingly enough, someone else shared that privilege – Seto Kaiba. Duke watched as Kaiba walked down the hall, staring straight ahead and carrying his metallic briefcase. Offended that he didn't appear to notice him, Duke decided to _make_ Kaiba notice him.

He shoved his backpack back into his locker and stepped in Kaiba's path. He grabbed Kaiba's shoulder to stop him in his tracks. "Leaving so soon?" he asked.

Kaiba smirked before gripping Duke's wrist and shoving his hand off him. "I see you're the dumb twin."

Admittedly, Duke was a little shaken with how much strength Kaiba displayed in such a small gesture, but he shook it off quickly. "Actually, in this case, that might be Dani. After everything you put her through yesterday, she must be dumb to _willingly_ spend time with you."

Kaiba could've easily crushed Duke by telling him the truth of the whole situation, but he knew that Dani might actually get upset with him. Besides, family drama wasn't any of his business. Instead, he leaned in close and warned, "Don't get on my bad side, Devlin."

* * *

 **A/N:** How interesting...Dani and Kaiba both figured out their pen pal's identity in their own ways...but do they actually believe it? How will this affect their behavior toward each other?

 **In the next chapter:** a conflict between Dani, Duke, and Kaiba will force Dani to choose a side, but who will she pick? After finding out some disturbing information, Dani needs to get out of the shop and find someone to take her mind off things. Not wanting to be hurt by Kaiba anymore, she ends up finding her way to Yugi's game shop. And despite the respite she gets from hanging out with Yugi and Joey, something sinister is waiting for her on her way home D:

Thank you for all the continuous comments, favs, and follows 3 The next chapter will be out in a couple days :)


	7. Family Secrets

Frozen By Your Side

By: Darkest Ember

Chapter 7: Family Secrets

* * *

 **Summary:** Dani Devlin is Duke Devlin's estranged twin sister. When they were younger, their father had asked a local game shop owner, Solomon Muto, to teach him to be a game master. They end up playing a dangerous game that ages their father 50 years in one night. From that moment on, he becomes obsessed with vengeance and plans to use Duke as a means to that revenge. Unable to save them both, their mother escapes with Dani and moves to America. A few years later, Dani starts to see the negative changes in her brother and decides to move back to Domino during her junior year of high school to save him. There, she meets Yugi and the gang, who all share her love for Duel Monsters. She hopes that they can also help Duke return to his old self. And then there's Seto Kaiba. Dani doesn't exactly get off on the right foot with him, but perhaps he is the one who can change _her_ for the better.

Takes place between the Duelist Kingdom and Dungeon Dice Monster arcs. Inspired by the manga storyline that shows "Mr. Clown" (Duke's dad) as the reason why Duke challenges Yugi.

Each chapter will start with a foreshadowing segment of Dani and Kaiba's online chat...neither of them know the true identity of who they're talking to, but end up becoming friends online (picture something like A Cinderella Story with Hillary Duff and Chad Michael Murray).

 **Pairing:** Kaiba x OC

* * *

Vampire_lady26: Even though I'm surrounded by people…friends, family, etc., I feel like there's no one I can trust. Like everyone's just waiting for their chance to stab me in the back.

BEWDragon: You're just _now_ feeling like that? I think I've felt that way my whole life – that's why I don't bother with friendship. It's a waste of time. I'm sure I've said this to you before, but you are the only person you can count on.

Vampire_lady26: But it shouldn't have to be that way! Your family should be there for you, no questions asked. But then again, I guess my family is a little dysfunctional…

BEWDragon: I understand where you're coming from, but trust me when I say that maybe you're better off without them.

* * *

Despite all the drama that took place earlier in the day, Dani was surprised to find things winding down to semi-normal by lunch time. Téa invited her to join them at their table – and when neither Duke nor Kaiba could be found, Dani decided to accept the invite. A part of her had hoped to have some sort of interaction with Kaiba by now – some snarky comment or at least a smug smirk.

She wasn't sure why she suddenly craved his attention. _Maybe it's because he's so different from everyone else_ , she thought, enjoying an apple she'd stolen from Kaiba's kitchen on the way out. _Or…maybe it's because he's just as alone as I am._

Fortunately, that string of depressive thought was broken when Joey and Tristan started their apparently typical lunchtime antics. Just as Joey captured Tristan in a comical headlock, Dani felt her phone vibrate in her skirt pocket. Curious, she pulled it out and saw that she had received an email from her not-so-anonymous online buddy. Of course she was still mostly in denial that Kaiba was the guy she'd been chatting with, but it wouldn't hurt to take some precautions, just in case.

Stealing a quick glance around the cafeteria, she looked for him. Admittedly, it would've been a more thorough search if she had gotten up and looked, considering the intermittent rush of students coming and going, but she didn't feel like putting _that_ much effort into it. Assuming that he wasn't somewhere in the crowd of students, she decided to risk it and respond.

After all, if Seto Kaiba were her pen pal, he probably would've figured out her identity by now and wouldn't be treating her the way he was. _Therefore, it couldn't possibly be him_ , she thought, reassuringly. Confident in the situation, she returned her focus to the table.

* * *

As with most things in life, the good vibes didn't make it all the way to the end of the school day. Most of Dani's teachers accepted her sob story of being a new student adjusting to the transition from America to Japan; however, her geometry teacher did not. He _doubled_ the amount of work she'd now have to finish by tomorrow's class, which instantly put her in a bad mood.

That mood only worsened when she turned into the hallway and saw Duke clutching his wrist and leaning against the lockers with a pained expression. Kaiba was standing directly in front of him. "Don't get on my bad side, Devlin," Kaiba spat. He turned to leave, but nearly ran into a very angered Dani.

"Now who's running into people?" she said coldly. "What the hell just happened with you and my brother?"

Duke, who suddenly seemed uninjured, joined the conversation, "He just shoulder-checked me so hard that I flew back into the lockers," he blurted, almost excitedly. Maybe if Dani hadn't been blinded with ignorant rage, she might've seen Kaiba shoot Duke a confused expression.

That was the last straw for Kaiba; he didn't have time to deal with this petty nonsense anymore. If he had to be the bad guy here, then so be it. Whatever attraction he was feeling toward Dani wasn't worth enduring these dramatics.

Kaiba quickly recovered and wore his classic egotistical smirk. "I don't know what it is about you two constantly pulling me into your bullshit problems, but I've had enough. Just leave me alone."

Dani saw that Kaiba was ready to make his exit, so she purposely stepped in front of him. "That's all you want, isn't it – to be alone? Someone in your position could have _so_ much and you're choosing to desire something so pathetic."

"If I'm going to be taking life advice from someone, it's definitely not going to be you," he retorted, finding it more difficult to bite his tongue and keep her secrets safe. "Besides, I think it's obvious that _you_ are the only pathetic person here." Although he was unable to say the details aloud, he did his best to convey what he was thinking through the intense eye contact he was making with her.

Needless to say, she got the point. After everything that he's said and done to her today, _that_ was Dani's last straw. In a flash of fury, her right hand swung out at him and slapped him hard across his cheek. Even though the hall was filled with students, the sound of her hand contacting his face seemed to drown out any other sound.

All the passersby froze in place and watched in silence. No one ever stood up to Seto Kaiba like this before. Adding to everyone's astonishment, Kaiba laughed coldly. "I'm not a coward, like your brother, so don't expect that weak little assault to hurt me."

Caught up in the array of emotions bursting through her body, Dani remained still as he stepped around her. Just before he passed, he bent down and spoke lowly so only she could hear him. "You just made an enemy."

Everyone waited until Kaiba had exited the school before daring to move or speak; Duke, on the other hand, ran over to Dani almost instantly. He held her face in his hands and examined her as if she had been the one who was hit. "Are you okay? What did he say to you?"

"Nothing," she replied softly, keeping her gaze downward. "He said nothing." And in a way it was true – because he wasn't her enemy, he wasn't her friend, he just became nothing to her.

* * *

The ride to the game shop felt like it was taking impossibly long. Dani hoped that there would be plenty of cardboard boxes to break down in the stock room – she was feeling particularly destructive. But it was hard to focus on that when Duke insisted on continuously complaining about "that arrogant prick" the whole way there. Sure, Dani agreed with most of what Duke was saying, but the more she listened to his rant, the more she wondered what exactly happened to cause such a conflict between them. Kaiba didn't strike her as the type to lose his cool and get physical in a confrontation.

"Okay I get it," she said, forcing a laugh. "Kaiba is a jerk. But what actually happened…like what started that fight today?"

Based on how heated up he was, Dani expected him to answer her question in that same ranting voice. Instead, he was awkwardly silent for a prolonged amount of time. After that moment of what felt like contemplation, Duke said, "He was saying some shitty things about you, so I told him to stop. I actually went to make the first move, but he blocked me and then shoved me up against the lockers."

Dani frowned. "I thought you said he shoulder-checked you?"

"Well, yeah…that's how I ended up against the lockers."

"Oh," she said flatly. "It's just so weird…I know he's not the friendliest guy around, but he doesn't seem like the type to engage in a fight."

"He's a cocky rich boy who wasn't getting his way, what else would you expect him to do?"

"Yeah, I guess," she said, resting her head against the cool glass of the window.

Thankfully, the massive two-story game shop was finally coming into view. Dani hoped that unpacking trading card packs or breaking down boxes for a couple hours would calm her down.

* * *

Kaiba's fingers remained coiled into tight fists during the entire ride to his office. He couldn't believe the audacity of those two twins to make a fool of him at school. Didn't Duke realize that he could easily revoke his contract and remove all _his_ arenas? Didn't he understand that he was dealing with Seto Kaiba? With Dani, as per usual, things were more complicated than mere disdain. Of course, Kaiba didn't care for the way she responded to him and in this instance, he thought that his words and attitude were perfectly suited to the context. But he still felt that annoying little pang of guilt.

Guilt was something that Kaiba didn't feel very often, but when he did feel it, he never really knew how to deal with it. Usually burying himself in his work did the trick, but he doubted that would really work in this particular situation. Nevertheless, if he didn't do _something_ to take his mind off this, he knew he'd probably end up doing something rash and regrettable.

So, without further delay, Kaiba pulled out his laptop and reviewed his notes once more before making the final adjustments to his duel disk. He gave strict instructions to be left alone for the rest of the evening, so there was no one around to appreciate or congratulate his accomplishment. He shrugged the vague feeling of loneliness off and activated his duel robot so that he could properly test the functionality of the duel disk.

Predictably, he defeated the robot with ease and all the cards functioned and appeared correctly. Kaiba gently placed the duel disk down in front of him and stared at it with his arms crossed over his chest. _Now what_? He could easily send the specs for the device to his production team and have a mass order produced within a week or so, but that didn't sit well with him. The success of one duel disk against a robot wasn't good enough for him. Kaiba wanted to see a live duel with his creation – both as a boost to his ego and as a confirmation that he was indeed ready to go to production.

Feeling oddly impatient, Kaiba wanted to find someone to duel him _tonight_. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was already 4 p.m., which meant Mokuba was probably already at home. Humiliating Wheeler was a tempting thought – just the memory of how he used Wheeler as a guinea pig for his first duel disk prototype made Kaiba smirk. But this wasn't some cheap ploy to catch Pegasus off guard…no, this was going to revolutionize the way Duel Monsters was played, and Joey was definitely not deserving of being the first person to try it out.

The obvious choice would be Yugi, who was the only duelist that Kaiba would ever consider to be remotely a rival. He was well overdue for a rematch, for another chance to steal his "king of games" crown. Yet despite how badly he wanted to win, Kaiba knew he'd want it to be more ceremonious than this. He'd make sure that the world saw Yugi's defeat.

But if Yugi didn't test out the duel disk…who else could? Kaiba glared at his computer screen as though it would help him solve his problems. His eyes wandered over to the email icon, which led him to think about his not-so-secret chat buddy. What if he dueled her and she ended up playing one of those vampire cards she was so fond of? That would be all the proof he'd need, and it would be entertaining to watch her _attempt_ to hold her own against him.

It was decided – Dani would be his first duel disk tester, whether she agreed to it or not.

* * *

In a desperate attempt to take her mind off of the shitty day she's had, Dani b-lined straight for the stock room with every intention to tear into some boxes and finally finish stocking these shelves. Duke, however, had other ideas. He grabbed her wrist before she could make it to the stockroom, which caused her to spin around and face him with a confused expression.

"Save the stocking for the new employees that will be coming here to train tomorrow," he said. "Let's do something fun – like test all the arcade games to make sure they work."

"At least if one of those is broken, I won't need to go to Kaiba Corp to get it fixed," she mumbled. Maybe blasting some digital bad guys with a digital gun could also help improve her mood.

Together, they raced between the rows of both old and new arcade-style games, essentially making a game out of the task. Like the many other games that Duke and Dani played over the years, Duke seemed to be winning this one. Dani tried not to focus on the unfair advantages, like his longer legs and better knowledge of the shop's layout, and instead thought about how good it would feel to best her brother. He was only beating her by two machines, so she increased her pace and slammed the 'on' buttons as she breezed by.

Right when victory was in her grasp, she hesitated when she saw the last game console: Mortal Kombat. Seconds later, Duke came to a halt behind her and realized what had distracted her. He laughed. "How many nights did we spend sneaking out of bed just so we could play this together?"

That may have been the memory that Duke had for this game, but for Dani it was a bit more…depressing. One of the gaming phases that her father and brother went through was video games, which would lead to participating in tournaments across Japan. Any game that Duke was invested in would come with a rigorous training schedule. Since these tournaments usually involved money, their greedy father often prioritized success in the tournaments over success in school, which their mother did not agree with.

And because Duke's success in various arcade and video games was _so_ important, Dani was considered little more than a distraction. Her and her mother were forbidden from certain rooms in the house, but that didn't stop Dani. She'd wait until everyone else was asleep and then sneak into the gaming rooms. Whether she played on a TV or an arcade game, she always made sure to find a way to turn the volume off, even if it jeopardized her game play.

"I had been sneaking out way before you started joining me," she said, laughing softly.

He scoffed. "Whatever. You needed all the practice you could get before going up against the champ."

"Every champ can be de-throned, as I've proven on more than one occasion," she teased.

Not wanting to admit to _any_ defeats, Duke shifted the subject slightly. "Do you remember how scared you got that first time I snuck up on you?" he laughed. "With a scream that loud, I'm surprised Dad didn't find us."

"Guess we got lucky," she muttered.

Duke offered to set up the two-player mode on the game, but Dani suddenly felt unwell. She pulled a stool from one of the poker tables and plopped it next to the game. She watched as the screen illuminated his fierce emerald eyes. His movements were so fast and fluid…it was almost more entertaining to watch him play than it would've been for her to play as well.

As she watched him defeat opponent after opponent, Dani reminded herself that _he_ was why she returned to Japan - nothing and no one else. The last thing she needed was another doomed love interest, which meant forgetting about Kaiba and his heartless personality entirely.

Inspired with her renewed sense of purpose, Dani hopped off the chair and put a quarter in the machine. "I think I'll take you up on that challenge," she grinned.

Mere seconds before the game started, Duke's phone buzzed loudly on the table nearby. "Shit, it's Dad," he muttered, shooting her a sympathetic look. "I have to answer it."

She glanced between the game and the table and figured wasting her money on this un-played game would be worth it. She hopped in front of him before he could reach the phone and continued to stand obtrusively in his way until the incessant buzzing stopped. "You don't have to _do_ anything, Duke," she said sternly. "He won't care if you miss a stupid phone call. Now let me kick your ass in this game!"

Duke was hesitant. His father didn't usually call unless it was about something important. Ultimately, he decided that whatever was wrong, he could deal with it later. It's not like his father was right there in front of him, like Dani was. Plus, he was starting to feel a little guilty for antagonizing Kaiba and causing that whole spectacle. "Alright," he said with a sigh. "But I'm the one who's going to be kicking ass," he said, sticking his tongue out at her as he ran over to the game and inserted another coin.

Both Devlin twins were giving their all as they rigorously pressed the buttons in attempts to defeat the other player. Although he'd never admit it aloud, Duke had every intention of letting Dani win this round, as a continued effort to lift her spirits – but he was surprised to find that she was doing just fine on her own. She probably could've easily defeated him even if he wasn't holding back. _I wish Dad were here to see this. She's gotten so much better since the last time we played this game_ , Duke thought.

"So sorry, brother, but it looks like victory is mine, for once," she teased, delivering the finishing blow.

"Have you been sneaking in here at night and practicing or something?" Duke asked, causing Dani to flinch internally. "Cause you were definitely not that good when we played as kids."

Realizing that it was a joke, she loosened up and laughed it off. "Is it really that hard to believe that I could beat you at something?" she shot back.

"As a matter of fact, yes," a voice said from behind them. Dani and Duke spun around to find their father standing behind them. "A champion should never lose to an amateur."

"Dad, she's not an amateur," Duke said, rolling his eyes. "I don't know why you never give her any credit."

"It's okay, Duke," she cut in, grabbing her backpack off the floor. "I don't need his praise."

With one last glare in her father's direction, Dani stormed out of the shop. _How typical of him to show up and ruin a good moment_ , she thought, lingering on the sidewalk and wondering what she should do next.

She glanced up at the Kaiba Corp building and found herself wondering what Kaiba was up to. But that thought didn't last very long, since she knew he was probably isolated in his fancy CEO office staring at a computer screen. Not knowing where else to go, she decided to sneak into her secret spot in the storage room. It was a risk with her father being there, but she doubted he showed up to unpack boxes.

After silently sneaking in through the back door, Dani set her backpack down near her makeshift bed and was about to sit down, but paused when she heard what sounded like a rather heated conversation.

"Why are you wasting your time playing games when you should be focusing on getting this place ready for business?" he asked.

"I _was_ getting the shop ready," Duke said defensively. "I had to check to make sure these old arcade games work. Wouldn't want another broken game, like that arena."

"There are better ways to be spending your time. I'll bet a foolish idea like that was all Dani's suggestion, wasn't it?"

"Actually, it was mine. She had a bad day at school today, so I wanted to help her feel better."

"Stop wasting your time with her! She's nothing more than a distraction."

Duke laughed lowly. "That's where you're wrong, father. Dani is very useful in the grand scheme of things. You see, she's friends with Yugi Muto…but she's also friends with that arrogant bastard, Seto Kaiba. So, today I pretended like he attacked me in the halls and now I'm pretty sure she's done with him, which will cause her to go running to Yugi for friendship. She can help me get to him."

There was a pause in the conversation as though he were considering Duke's suggestion. "Be that as it may, I don't think involving her in this plan is wise. We have no room for anyone's interference, Duke."

"She can't interfere if she doesn't realize she's part of the plan," Duke reasoned. "Besides, you know I'm more than happy to bring down that little cheat who deceived the world into thinking he bested Pegasus."

"That's good. I can _hear_ the fiery determination in your voice. But don't forget, this goes beyond that. His whole family must suffer. Solomon used the dark magic of that accursed Egyptian artifact to age me in that penalty game. We must win that artifact and use that same dark magic on him and his little grandson."

"I already know what I'm going to do, father. You don't have to worry about a thing. This weekend, the Muto family will pay for what they've done to us."

Dani felt her knees weaken as she slid down the wall and collapsed on the ground. She cupped a hand over her mouth to prevent the sounds of her sobs from echoing off the walls. This had to be some kind of trick…a nightmare…a delusion. There's no way that could've really been Duke talking like that.

Breathing was becoming increasingly challenging as thoughts and feelings raced through her body. She was angry that Duke thinks he could _use_ her in this stupid scheme. She felt guilty for going off on Kaiba for all the wrong reasons. She was worried about Yugi…he seemed so kind and innocent – she couldn't imagine him going up against whatever Duke had planned.

Despite being overwhelmed with emotions, Dani was never one to just wallow in sadness without acting. She couldn't confront Duke yet, and she didn't feel like dealing with Kaiba Corp security again, so that left only one option – she'd have to go to Yugi's game shop and warn him.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hmm sounds like Duke's starting to get a little dark. Will Dani be able to stop him before it's too late?

In the next chapter: Dani goes to Yugi's game shop and learns more about Yugi's puzzle. Kaiba is determined to get Dani to duel him, but how will he convince her?

Thank you to the continuous comments and follows/favorites! I'm starting to have the plot for this entire story fully planned out, and I can't wait for you to see what happens next :)


	8. Warnings & Wagers

Frozen By Your Side

By: Darkest Ember

Chapter 8: Warnings & Wagers

* * *

 **Summary:** Dani Devlin is Duke Devlin's estranged twin sister. When they were younger, their father had asked a local game shop owner, Solomon Muto, to teach him to be a game master. They end up playing a dangerous game that ages their father 50 years in one night. From that moment on, he becomes obsessed with vengeance and plans to use Duke as a means to that revenge. Unable to save them both, their mother escapes with Dani and moves to America. A few years later, Dani starts to see the negative changes in her brother and decides to move back to Domino during her junior year of high school to save him. There, she meets Yugi and the gang, who all share her love for Duel Monsters. She hopes that they can also help Duke return to his old self. And then there's Seto Kaiba. Dani doesn't exactly get off on the right foot with him, but perhaps he is the one who can change _her_ for the better.

Takes place between the Duelist Kingdom and Dungeon Dice Monster arcs. Inspired by the manga storyline that shows "Mr. Clown" (Duke's dad) as the reason why Duke challenges Yugi.

Each chapter will start with a foreshadowing segment of Dani and Kaiba's online chat...neither of them know the true identity of who they're talking to, but end up becoming friends online (picture something like A Cinderella Story with Hillary Duff and Chad Michael Murray).

 **Pairing:** Kaiba x OC

* * *

BEWDragon: So how long have you been playing Duel Monsters?

Vampire_lady26: A few months now. I picked it up one day in detention. The teacher who was supervising that day said whoever won the duel could leave early. It was my first time playing, but somehow I won. Ever since then I feel like the game has been a way for me to escape real world problems.

BEWDragon: Wow, sounds like you got pretty lucky that day. But I understand how you feel. I'd take the stress and adrenaline from a duel any day over real world problems.

Vampire_lady26: What? Luck had nothing to do with it lol it was pure skill.

BEWDragon: Ha. Whatever you say.

* * *

Dani's heart beat violently in her chest as she raced along the streets of Domino trying to find the only other game shop in town. She remembered Yugi mentioning something about living above the shop that he and his grandfather have. But of course, she couldn't remember if he had mentioned a specific name. The only other game shop that came up in a Google search, besides the Black Clown, was a place called Kame. Luckily, it was only a couple blocks away.

As the unfamiliar buildings zoomed past her in a teary blur, Dani tried to think about anything other than her brother's inevitable betrayal. _How could he want any part of that lunatic's plan?!_ She thought, feeling her skin crawl. The uneasy feeling then shifted into guilt when she realized that the moment her and their mother left, Duke was a goner. But that didn't mean she couldn't still force some sense into him. She had the upper hand now, and she planned to use that advantage to warn Yugi.

When she finally arrived at the address associated with the Kame game shop, she had to do a double-take between her phone and the building. _This is a game shop?_ She wondered, looking at the building that appeared to be smaller than their entire stock room. _They must only sell Duel Monsters cards in there…cause there can't be room for much else._

The door opened with a little jingle and revealed a narrow, though neatly stocked store. Although there was an overwhelming amount of Duel Monsters cards and merchandise, there was also various board games and cartridges for older video game consoles. It reminded her of a smaller version of GameStop back in America. There weren't any customers in the shop, but she did hear a pair of familiar voices coming from behind the check-out counter.

"I summon Alligator Sword in attack mode!" Joey declared. "Alligator Sword, destroy his Kuriboh!"

Dani peered over the counter to see Joey and Yugi sitting on the floor and playing Duel Monsters. They were using marker boards to keep track of each other's life points – Yugi had 1500 life points, and Joey was down to 600.

"Let's see how your Alligator Sword stands up to THIS," Yugi said, grinning as he sacrificed his last defensive monster, Beaver Warrior, to summon Curse of Dragon.

"Is this really all you guys do in your free time?" she asked, accidentally blurting her thoughts aloud.

The boys had been so caught up in the game that they hadn't realized anyone else was in the shop. They both scrambled to get off the ground and ended up spilling their cards everywhere. Yugi laughed nervously. "Hey there, Dani. Sorry we didn't hear you come in."

"No worries," she shrugged, "Although I kinda feel bad…I don't think you'll be able to finish your duel now."

Everyone looked down at the mess of scattered cards and laughed. "It's probably for the best, since I was clearly gonna be the winner. Ain't that right, Yug?"

"Riiiight," Yugi said sarcastically. Once all the cards were picked up, Yugi placed his in a special golden box and Joey tucked his in a small zippered pocket on the side of his backpack. "So, Dani, what brings you here?"

Before she could answer, an old man swung the back door open and suddenly emerged into the shop. At first, he was giving Joey and Yugi a disapproving glare and looked like he was about to give them a lecture about slacking off, but then he saw that they had company. His mood dramatically changed to downright giddy. "Can it be? A customer?!"

Everyone leapt back at the sudden outburst, but once the surprise wore off, Yugi explained, "Actually, Gramps, this is Dani – she's one of my new friends at school."

Once he realized he probably wasn't getting a sale, Yugi's grandpa became more reserved. "Pleasure to meet you, Dani. Welcome to my game shop. As you can see, it's not very big, but we do specialize in Duel Monsters cards."

"Hey, you play Duel Monsters, don't ya? Why don't ya show Gramps your deck? Him and Yugi really helped me out when I was first beginnin'," Joey suggested.

Dani just so happened to have her deck with her, but she wasn't sure if she wanted it examined. She certainly wasn't an amateur – in fact she used to be undefeated at her old school – but she couldn't be considered a champ either. _Guess it wouldn't hurt to get a professional's opinion. If anything, this could help make my deck even better_ , she decided.

"Alright," she said after a moment of deliberation. She grabbed her deck out of her purse and placed it on the counter. "My deck is very zombie-based. I think the biggest thing it's lacking is a good balance of magic and trap cards."

"Z-zombie based?" Joey asked, suddenly losing interest in the cards.

Dani shot him a confused look before snickering. "What, are you afraid of zombies, Joey?"

Yugi laughed. "Let's just say he had a negative experience with a zombie duelist during the Duelist Kingdom tournament."

Mr. Muto shuffled through the cards and nodded as he browsed. "What you have here is a very impressive collection of zombie-type monsters, indeed. Many, if not all of them, have some sort of effect, which I'd imagine you rely on quite heavily in your duels."

She'd never consciously realized it before, but that was exactly right. A lot of the vampire-series cards in particular had effects that interlinked with each other and made it so that she'd never be open for a direct attack. That was one of her strategies. And somehow this old man figured it out just by _looking_ at her cards. _No wonder he defeated Dad so easily all those years ago…_

"It's probably not the best long-term strategy to incorporate, but it usually gets the job done," she admitted.

Mr. Muto stroked his beard in contemplation. "I can certainly see some great potential in you, which is why I want you to have these," he said, digging around under the counter for a minute before producing two cards – one magic and one trap card.

Curious to see which cards he picked, Yugi and Joey ran over to the other side of the counter and tried to sneak a peek behind Dani. "I-I can't possibly take these," she murmured.

"I insist," he said, handing them to her. "The Wasteland magic card will strengthen your monsters during each turn, and this Spirit Shield trap will make it nearly impossible for your opponent to attack you directly, so long as there's enough monsters in your graveyard, so that way you won't always have to rely on your vampire cards."

As she held these two cards amongst her others, it felt as if they belonged…as if the whole deck was somehow immensely strengthened with this addition.

"Alright why don't we test out your new powerful cards?" Joey suggested.

"You sure you're ready to battle zombies so soon?" Yugi teased.

"Ehhh it can't be dat bad. I mean there ain't even a duel arena nearby."

Curious about how these new cards will fare with her usual tactics, Dani decided to accept the challenge. But before their decks had even been properly shuffled, Joey's phone started ringing. He glanced at it as though he weren't going to answer it, but then sighed. "It's my sister."

Apparently, he was being called home for dinner and he was trying his best to postpone it. "Can't you just…let me microwave it later…yeah I know your surgery's comin up. Gahhh fine, I'll be home in ten."

Dani shot Yugi a curious look. "Surgery?" she whispered.

"Joey's sister Serenity is having her eye surgery in a couple weeks. It'll help cure her blindness."

"Oh wow," Dani murmured.

With an angry huff, Joey grabbed his backpack off the floor and headed for the door. "Sorry guys, I gotta go."

"Don't worry, we'll have a rematch real soon," Dani said reassuringly.

Joey grinned and gave a thumb's up over his shoulder before leaving.

* * *

An almost awkward silence filled the shop in Joey's boisterous absence. Without the fun façade of a duel amongst friends or checking out some cards in the shop, all that remained was the whole reason she sought Yugi in the first place – to warn him about her family's plan.

"So…what now?" he asked, smiling that adorable little smile he always seems to be wearing.

She shrugged. "Do _you_ want to duel?" she joked.

"I think Joey really knocked all the dueling energy out of me. Gramps, do you need any help closing up?"

Mr. Muto glanced between the two teens, obviously wanting to go do something else, and smiled. "No, I think I'll be fine tonight. Why don't you two go get some ice cream?" he suggested, sliding a some money across the counter.

"Great idea, Gramps!" Yugi exclaimed, glancing up at Dani. "Wanna go?"

She nodded, feeling somewhat comforted by his abounding cheerfulness. Luckily, there was an ice cream shop a couple blocks from his house. Of course, Dani wasn't worried about time – if anything she wanted to stay out and away from that game shop for as long as possible – it was more the long walk home she was dreading.

They each ordered an ice cream cone and sat down at a bench that overlooked a river. Yugi was the first one to break the silence. "So, what brings you back to Japan?"

"My family has always been a little…dysfunctional," she began, sharing with him the history of her negative experiences with her father, how much she missed Duke when she moved away with her mom, and how she hopes to help him now that she's back.

Yugi's look of polite interest soon became a deepened look of sympathy. "Wow, I had no idea, Dani," he said softly. "I'm sure with you here, Duke will come to his senses."

"That's what I'm hoping…but I feel like in the month or so that I've been back here, he's only gotten worse. I overheard him talking with my father today and they're planning something bad…something involving you."

"Me?" he asked, frowning in confusion. "I don't understand."

"Apparently, when we were young, my dad met someone who was known for his gaming skills. He asked the man if he could train him, but the man refused. Insistent, my dad continued asking, until one day the man challenged him to the Devil's Board Game. It sounded like a bunch of hocus pocus, like some fairy tale, but supposedly, the loser of this mystical game would age rapidly. My dad lost that game and aged probably twenty years in mere seconds thanks to the effect of some ancient Egyptian magic. The man who faced my dad was your grandpa, Yugi."

Yugi's normally bright, optimistic violet eyes were now darkened with shock and unease. "Gramps never mentioned that particular incident, but I do know a thing or two about shadow games and ancient Egyptian artifacts," he replied softly, gazing down at his millennium puzzle.

"My dad thinks he can get revenge by having my brother challenge you to a game. He wants your millennium puzzle…"

"But the puzzle wouldn't have been used back then. Gramps gave it to me as a bunch of pieces and it took me almost eight years to put it together."

Dani shrugged and slumped back against the bench. "For some reason they think that because it's an Egyptian artifact, it'll give them the power they need for their revenge. But you don't have to worry about a thing – I'll make sure Duke doesn't get anywhere near you or your puzzle."

* * *

Not wanting this otherwise pleasant outing to end on a negative note, Yugi changed the topic of conversation and told Dani more about himself and the rest of the gang. She was shocked to find out that Joey and Tristan weren't always so nice to Yugi, but they ended up becoming inseparable friends.

When it became dark out, they both decided it would probably be best to head home. Feeling like she disclosed enough honesty for the day, Dani didn't want to tell him that she lived in a storage room, so she headed in the opposite direction of the game shop, walking toward a street that appeared to be mostly residential.

That seemed like a good idea at the time, until Dani realized that she wouldn't be able to find her way back home by memory. She pulled out her cell phone to use the GPS, but since she'd left the map app running the entire time she was out, her phone only had 10% battery. "Just great," she muttered, running as fast as she can so that she could utilize as much of the remaining battery as possible to get directions.

Fortunately, she made it far enough that she felt semi-confident that she could find her way back using the familiar surroundings. _What am I worried about? The game shop is pretty tall so it should stick out over some of these buildings…eventually,_ she thought, trying to stay positive.

Reaching an intersection, Dani paused to catch her breath and take a moment to determine which way she should turn. When the crossing light to her left said "go," she decided to take that route. Just as she was about to step into the street, a car took a sharp turn and pulled right in front of her.

"WATCH IT!" she shouted, expecting the car to keep moving, but it remained stopped in the middle of the crosswalk.

The sinking feeling of fear manifested when someone opened the passenger door and approached her. "Mr. Kaiba requests your presence," the man said gruffly.

It took an immense amount of self-control to not start laughing in this suit's face. She felt stupid for being afraid in the first place. "I'm not interested," she replied, walking around the car.

The man reached out and grabbed her arm. "I'm afraid I must insist. He said your presence is mandatory."

Dani attempted to shrug out of his grip, but he was holding on too tightly. "Well…Mr. Kaiba needs…to learn that…he doesn't always get everything he wants," she gritted out between each attempt to escape.

"Just make it easy on yourself and get in the car."

"I don't think so," she said, ceasing her squirming. "What're you gonna do, kidnap me?"

He shrugged and picked her up off the ground. She landed unceremoniously in the back seat of the car, which sped off the moment the doors were closed. _I'm going to kill you, Kaiba_ , she thought, seething in the back seat as the car drove to the Kaiba Corp building.

* * *

Since what was currently transpiring was illegal, Dani wasn't at all surprised when Kaiba's goons led her to a side entrance. She could've put forth a little more resistance or at least cried for help, but ultimately she decided it was pointless. There wasn't anyone around to hear her scream and she wasn't strong enough to take on two muscular security guards or whatever they were. _Besides it's best if I reserve all my energy for when I see Kaiba face-to-face. I'd gladly hit him again after this bullshit stunt he's pulling_ , she thought, smirking to herself as they rode the elevator all the way up to the top floor.

The elevator doors opened directly to a large office space. Dani should've expected as much – why wouldn't he have an entire _floor_ as his office? One of the guards gave her a shove forward and announced their arrival. Kaiba's chair spun around and he addressed the guards as if she weren't even there. "That will be all. I'll take it from here," he said curtly.

It was almost amusing to watch the guards' demeanor change from cocky to cowardly in Kaiba's presence. As they turned to leave, Dani kicked the one who'd shoved her earlier right in the shin. She knew he wouldn't dare retaliate in front of Kaiba, so she laughed and waved mockingly at him.

"I guess I should be thanking you," she said nonchalantly, strutting up to his desk and sitting on the edge. In response to his confused expression, she explained, "I'm going to be rich after pressing charges against you."

"I'm sorry, but weren't you the one who hit me on school property?" he challenged. "I could have you expelled first thing tomorrow morning."

At the mention of her earlier display of violence, Dani's eyes drifted across Kaiba's face till she found a faint red mark where she'd hit him. She felt oddly satisfied at the sight, but then recalled that Kaiba technically hadn't done anything to warrant that attack. It was all a lie that Duke created. Even so, she couldn't let that hold her up right now, so she shook her head to clear out those thoughts and focused on the present. "Pretty sure that kidnapping someone is worse than hitting a guy who totally deserved it," she replied, playing along with the lie to see if he'd defend himself.

"I hardly think I deserved that," he replied, standing up and walking around the desk.

Dani rolled her eyes. "If someone hurt Mokuba you know damn well that you'd get them back."

"Perhaps," he agreed, now standing directly in front of her. He leaned in close, reaching behind her for something off the desk. "But I never hurt your pathetic brother."

Feeling uncomfortable in his close and intimidating presence, Dani scooted off the desk and crossed her arms stubbornly over her chest. "Why should I believe you? If Duke made it up, you shouldn't have just gone along with it like you did!"

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm _trying_ to stay out of your family drama."

"Alright, whatever," she said, knowing that this conversation was pointless. "So why did you go through all this trouble to force me to come here?"

Without warning, he chucked a duel disk at her. After scrambling to catch it, she gave him a dirty look before examining what was thrown at her. _What the hell am I supposed to do with this_?

"I need someone to help me test out my new duel disk prototype," he said, sliding his own duel disk on his left wrist. "Follow me."

Wanting an explanation, she followed him to the elevator and slid on her own duel disk. "So you sent your thugs to bring me to your office…to duel me?" she asked incredulously. "You couldn't just ask me like a normal person?"

Kaiba laughed flatly. "And how would I have done that? I don't have your phone number, not that I would want it, and I wasn't about to drive all the way to your brother's game shop."

Dani scoffed, unable to comprehend how he could think his actions were _normal_. "You couldn't just wait till you saw me at school tomorrow? You could've asked me in homeroom!"

He pushed the button for one of the lower levels in the building and leaned up against the wall. "Let's be realistic…after what happened today, if I were to approach you at school and ask if you'd want to duel, what would you say?"

Dani bit her lower lip, realizing that was a valid point. She had every intention of avoiding Kaiba tomorrow, and if he had proposed a duel, she would've declined. "I'd say no," she muttered, upset that he had really thought all this through.

As the elevator made the rest of its descent in silence, Dani wondered why he was so intent on dueling her. There were hundreds of employees that probably played the game here in his own company…not to mention he could've played against his brother, or even Yugi. _So…why me?_ She wondered, suddenly feeling a little special.

* * *

The floor they arrived at looked like an empty underground warehouse. There were no windows, and the room was faintly lit with lights suspended from the two-story ceiling. "What is this place?" she wondered aloud.

"Kaiba Corp used to be a company that specialized in mass weapon production. A lot of the smaller weapons, like guns and grenades, were built in this warehouse."

Despite his explanation, Dani felt even more curiosity. How does a company switch from weaponry to gaming? Was that all Kaiba's doing whenever he took over the company? _At least that's one good thing about him, I guess_ , she thought.

While she was lost in reverie, Kaiba had been surveying the space and determined that it should be big enough to allow for a proper test of his holographic technology. He created some distance between himself and Dani and then held out his duel disk, which shot out two projectors. He instructed Dani to do the same.

For Kaiba, this duel was nothing more than a chance for him to test a player-versus-player duel with these disks; however, this duel meant a little more to Dani. This would be her chance to bring Kaiba down a notch, to get him back for all his snide remarks and cold attitude toward her. As she shuffled her deck, though, she realized that perhaps she could make this duel mean even more. "Why don't we make this duel a little more…interesting?" she suggested, smirking.

"And what exactly are you proposing?" Kaiba asked, mildly intrigued.

She shrugged. "A wager. If I win this duel, you have to give me my own room in your ridiculously oversized mansion – preferably as far away from your room as possible."

Knowing that it was very unlikely that she would defeat him, Kaiba agreed. "Very well. But if _I_ win, then you have to come here and work after school as my personal assistant."

A wave of goosebumps spread across Dani's flesh after hearing his suggestion. _I thought he was hell-bent on not dealing with me on a regular basis…so why would he_ want _me to come work with him after school?_ "Sorry, but I already have an after-school job…at the game shop," she replied, hoping he'd come up with something else.

"Oh well," he shrugged. "If you won't honor my terms, then I won't honor yours."

Not wanting to back down from the challenge…or lose her chance at actually having a bed to sleep on, Dani knew she had to accept. As long as she won, everything would be fine.

"Fine, I accept your terms, Kaiba. Now, let's get this duel started already!" she declared, following his example and inserting her deck into the slot.

Once the cards were inserted, her life point screen read '4000.' "Wait…4000? I thought you started with 2000 life points," she said, confused.

"We're playing with the new rules now," Kaiba replied. "Each player starts with 4000 life points. Oh, and I hope you have a good mix of low and high level monsters because you'll have to sacrifice one monster to summon a level 5 or 6 monster and two monsters for level 7 and higher. That shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Dani glared at him. _Of course, he'd wait until after the game started to tell me that! It doesn't matter though…most of my monsters are between level 3 and 6 so it shouldn't hurt me too much._ "Not at all," she gritted out, drawing her five cards.

"Since you probably have no idea how this works, I'll go first," he said, smirking condescendingly. "I summon Saggi the Dark Clown (600/1500)!"

A flash of bright, almost glittery light appeared a few feet in front of Kaiba. That light suddenly morphed into a massive clown that hovered in the air. Its demented grinning face was looking right at Dani, which caused her to subconsciously take a few steps backward. "I-it's so life-like," she gasped.

Kaiba laughed. "If you think _this_ is impressive, just wait till you see my other monsters! I'll place two cards face down and end my turn." Two enlarged versions of Duel Monsters cards appeared behind Saggi.

The clown's unnerving stare and occasional mocking laughter was making it incredibly difficult for Dani to focus. She glanced down at her hand and drew one more card before deciding what her first move should be. _Kaiba played an incredibly weak monster…which means it'll be easy to destroy. I can't let this technology affect my gameplay. If I can reduce his life points before mine, that should help set the tone for this duel._

Fortunately, Dani had a monster that was strong enough to defeat Saggi and could be summoned right away. "I play the 13th Grave (1200/900) in attack mode," she said, placing the card on one of the monster slots and watching as the skeletal zombie appeared before her. "Attack his Dark Clown!"

The zombie monster let out a shriek before running across the field and swinging its weapon at Saggi. But before the 13th Grave could strike, a spinning red and black wheel appeared in front of Saggi. "You amateur," Kaiba sneered. "Reveal trap card – Ring of Destruction."

The ring spun toward Dani's monster and wrapped itself around the 13th Grave's neck. Once it was secured, the ring exploded, causing an actual wave of fire to come toward Dani. She knew that it was just a hologram, but she couldn't help but hold her arms up in defense. When the smoke cleared, she glanced down at her duel disk and saw that she had lost 1200 attack points.

"What the hell just happened?" she demanded, coughing from the smoke that still lingered.

"When Ring of Destruction is played, my opponent's monster is destroyed and both players take damage equal to that monster's attack points," he explained.

"If that's the case, then why am I the only one who lost life points?"

Kaiba smirked. "Because I also played Ring of Defense, which protected my life points."

"I'm not impressed," she shot back, trying to not appear so shaken. "I place one card face down and end my turn."

Dani took a deep breath and focused on every move Kaiba made. She mentally berated herself for being stupid enough to attack without acknowledging his face down cards. Usually, she'd never be so careless, but the reality of the duel was something she wasn't quite prepared for.

"You've already lost almost half your life points and you have no monsters on the field to protect you. This duel might be over sooner than I expected!" Kaiba jeered. "I summon La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp (1800/1000) in attack mode. Go, La Jinn, attack her directly!"

"Not so fast!" Dani said, revealing her face down trap card. "The Enchanted Javelin will protect my life points." When the card flipped upward, an actual javelin appeared and aimed a blast at her duel disk. Her life points increased by 1800 just before the genie's attack hit her. The force of the blast caused her to lose her footing and stumble backwards, but she wasn't as shaken as she was in the previous turn.

Kaiba had to admit that he didn't expect such a move from her, but he was glad that she was putting up a bit of a fight. Not only was he enjoying watching his technology at work, but he also enjoyed watching that fiery determination grow in Dani's eyes as she glared at him from across the field. He was correct – she was the perfect choice for his first duel disk test.

"You're only delaying the inevitable," he said, ending his turn. "If I were you, I'd get ready to become a Kaiba Corp employee."

* * *

 **A/N:** Regardless of who wins, that's an interesting wager isn't it? lol So many fun possibilities! The next chapter will be the entire remaining duel between Dani and Kaiba, which will definitely have a twist ending :) I plan to have the next chapter out shortly after Thanksgiving! Comments & follows definitely speed up the process.

Thanks for reading!


	9. It's Time to Duel!

**Frozen by Your Side**

 **By: Darkest Ember**

 **Chapter 9: It's Time to Duel!**

* * *

 **Summary:** Dani Devlin is Duke Devlin's estranged twin sister. When they were younger, their father had asked a local game shop owner, Solomon Muto, to teach him to be a game master. They end up playing a dangerous game that ages their father 50 years in one night. From that moment on, he becomes obsessed with vengeance and plans to use Duke as a means to that revenge. Unable to save them both, their mother escapes with Dani and moves to America. A few years later, Dani starts to see the negative changes in her brother and decides to move back to Domino during her junior year of high school to save him. There, she meets Yugi and the gang, who all share her love for Duel Monsters. She hopes that they can also help Duke return to his old self. And then there's Seto Kaiba. Dani doesn't exactly get off on the right foot with him, but perhaps he is the one who can change _her_ for the better.

Takes place between the Duelist Kingdom and Dungeon Dice Monster arcs. Inspired by the manga storyline that shows "Mr. Clown" (Duke's dad) as the reason why Duke challenges Yugi.

 **Pairing:** Kaiba x OC

 **A/N:** Because they figured out who's who in the online chat (and because they're in the middle of a duel in this chapter) there won't be chat beginning the chapter. Also, I admit that I bent the rules and effects of some cards and ignored some effects for the sake of the plot in this chapter. Believe me, I did a crap ton of research on the cards used in this duel, but - just like how it is in the show sometimes - I picked which effects best benefit my story lol This was a super challenging chapter to write, which is why the update took so long, but I hope you all enjoy it!

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The flimsy overhead lights trembled from the aftershock of La Jinn's direct attack. Admittedly, Dani also felt a little shaky, but she would never let Kaiba know. "Are you finished?" she gritted out. "I'm getting bored."

Kaiba smirked, seeing directly through her tough façade. "I _could_ just end my turn now, but I think I'll continue the onslaught. Saggi, attack her directly!"

 _Shit, I forget about that stupid clown_ , she thought, watching with wide eyes as he glided toward her with a dagger in hand. She knew it was a hologram, but it looked way too real for her to just stand there and accept the attack, so she held her arms out defensively in front of her face. The clown slashed at her arms and took 600 life points in the process. _I_ really _hate clowns…_

"Now I'm done," he sneered, clearly proud of his early lead.

Dani scowled at him before drawing her next card. She scanned her hand before proceeding – three magic cards and two monster cards. _These magic cards will come in handy later…but this one I could use right now. And it looks like I'll also be able to summon a monster this turn._

"First, I'll summon the Vampire Hunter (1600/1600) in attack mode!" she declared, bringing forth the first in her series of vampire-themed monsters. A man with long white hair and a glowing crimson whip in hand appeared before her. "Then I'll play the magic card Soul of the Pure. Thanks to this card, I get 800 life points back."

A bright glow illuminated the air around her as an angel-like creature appeared and held out her hands. The light spilled from her hands onto Dani's duel disk and brought her life points up to 2200.

Kaiba snickered. "That card kind of clashes with your gothy deck theme, doesn't it?"

Taken aback by his semi-playful comment, Dani just pouted for a moment before issuing an attack. "Say whatever you want about my deck, Kaiba. You won't find anything amusing about it once you lose. Now, watch as my Vampire Hunter's special ability takes effect!"

The Vampire Hunter lashed its whip out at La Jinn. Once he was hit, the emerald genie shattered into hundreds of pieces before disappearing from the field. "Explain yourself!" Kaiba said, losing his teasing tone. "How could your weak monster destroy my genie?"

"If Vampire Hunter battles a Dark attribute monster, the monster is automatically destroyed. Oh, and here's the best part, that doesn't count as an actual attack, so I can still go after your demented clown."

With a flick of the wrist, the Vampire Hunter struck with his whip once more, only this time, the whip wrapped around Saggi's throat and choked him before he exploded into holographic shards. Despite finding the unique interactions between the monsters to be a little disturbing, Dani was pleased to watch Kaiba cringe as his life points went down to 3000. "And with that, I end my turn."

Now it was Kaiba's turn to feel bitter about the progression of the duel. _I must admit, I wasn't expecting such a thorough attack from her, but it's nothing to worry about. I'm just warming up_ , he thought, glancing at the Blue Eyes White Dragon in his hand. _Once I summon my Blue Eyes, it'll be all over for her._

With nothing but Blue Eyes, Pot of Greed, and Cost Down in his hand, Kaiba decided that now would be an optimal time to draw more cards. "First, I play Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two cards." Luckily, he drew two lower-level monsters – Sword of Soul and Lord of Dragons.

Presuming that Dani wouldn't be able to resist attacking a defensive monster, Kaiba played Sword of Soul (0/1900) face down and ended his turn.

His quick and simple move left Dani feeling equally disappointed and perplexed. _I just wiped out his defenses and this is the best comeback he could make? Not to mention he's being uncharacteristically silent…he must be up to something._

Dani drew her next card and grinned. "Better get used to losing life points, Kaiba, because it's only going to be downhill from here. I play the magic card Meteor of Destruction!"

Once more, the light fixtures trembled as holographic meteors started falling from the ceiling. Kaiba held his ground as the largest meteor came crashing right toward him. Although he groaned a little from the impact, he was relatively unaffected from the attack; his life points, on the other hand, dropped down to 2000. "Don't look so upset," she taunted. "The party's just getting started. Now, I'll sacrifice my Vampire Hunter to summon one of the most powerful vamps in the game. Come forth, Vampire Lord (2000/1500)!"

"No way," Kaiba said with wide eyes. _That's the card that Dani, or should I say, 'vampire_lady26,' said was her favorite in the chat. Does she really think I'm not onto her? Perhaps when I play_ my _favorite card, she'll also make the connection._

Dani had been far too focused on the duel to consider that Kaiba would have any thoughts about their online chats. If anything, she was just excited to see her favorite card come to life. She watched in awe as the vampire appeared in front of her with the elegance and confidence of an immortal being.

Without much hesitation, she commanded her attack, and watched as Vampire Lord opened his cape and unleashed an army of red-eyed bats to destroy Kaiba's face-down monster. The Sword of Soul shattered almost instantly, but Kaiba looked completely unfazed. "Good luck summoning a monster strong enough to defeat my Vampire Lord," she said, hoping to shake his confidence.

Kaiba laughed when he drew his next card. "Not only will I be able to summon a monster stronger than your Lord, but I'll also be able to attack you directly in one swift move."

"That's not possible…," she replied, her mind racing to figure out what his strategy would be. She had nothing but a Monster Reborn card in her hand, which wouldn't be worth using so early in the duel. If he did summon something stronger than her monster _and_ managed to attack her directly, she'll definitely be on the losing end of this duel.

"Nothing is impossible for me," he grinned. "First, I'll play Cost Down, which makes it easier for me to summon a higher-level monster. Next, I'll use Soul Exchange to sacrifice your precious vampire and summon a monster without peer."

"What?!" she cried, outraged. "How dare you use my monster for your sacrifice!"

"Maybe if you also incorporated some strategy into your gameplay, you'd make some good moves, too," he teased. "Behold, the arrival of my mighty Blue Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500)!"

Dani held a hand over her eyes to shield herself from the blinding white light that surrounded the dragon. _Supposedly there's only one person who has all three Blue Eyes White Dragons…guess I can't keep denying all the obvious evidence. He's gotta be my online pen-pal._ A part of her felt that she should be proud of her deduction, but she was too overwhelmed with disappointment. The real-life identity of the person she'd spent hours happily chatting with was a major let-down.

"So it's true," she said softly. "Nice to meet you 'BEWDragon.'"

"You figured it out?" he gasped.

Dani rolled her eyes. "Of course I figured it out. It was a dead giveaway the moment you played that card – but deep down, I've known since we left the mansion this morning, when I saw that Blue Eyes statue. I just didn't want to believe it."

"I wasn't particularly thrilled when I figured it out, either," he shot back.

"Oh yeah, smart guy? If you knew all this time, then why didn't you bring it up?"

"Because this is so much more amusing," he sneered.

 _What did I ever find attractive about this guy?_ She wondered, glaring across the warehouse at him. _He's a total self-centered asshole._ "I'm surprised you're spending so much time focusing on this drama. You've got a big bad dragon on your side of the field and I'm defenseless…what are you waiting for? One direct attack from you and I'll be done for," she said, intentionally egging him on. She knew that, at least for this turn, her life points wouldn't be as endangered as Kaiba probably thought they'd be.

Kaiba wasn't really one to be encouraged by taunting, but she did have a point. There was no point in drawing out what was sure to be a painful direct attack. "Alright Blue Eyes, show her why you're one of the most feared dragons in the game. White Lightning!"

Dani knew that she wouldn't be hit directly, so she planted her feet and forced her eyes to remain open as the piercing lightning came toward her. Just before the lightning strike was in range, a blast of dark light came from the graveyard component of her duel disk, and Vampire Lord nodded reassuringly at her before assuming a defensive position.

The attack destroyed him just moments after he arrived, but Dani was incredibly thankful for his special effect that brought him back to the field just in time to spare her life points. Kaiba looked mildly disappointed, but shrugged it off with his classic cold composure. "Can't you just let that zombie wanna-be die?"

Dani laughed. "That's the thing about vampires – they don't die very easily."

"We'll see about that. Make your move."

"With pleasure," she said, smirking as she drew her next card. Since she didn't have anything in her hand that could bring down the Blue Eyes, she decided to play her own Pot of Greed card.

"You can draw as many cards as you want...none of them will be able to defeat my monster," Kaiba said, smugly crossing his arms over his chest.

"We'll see about that," she replied, mocking his previous statement. "I'll play Bone Crusher (1600/200) in defense mode and place one card face down."

"With moves like that, this duel will be over very soon. I'll summon Battle Ox (1700/1000) in attack mode. Then, I'll place one card face down. Blue Eyes, destroy her Bone Crusher!"

"Not so fast," she shouted, "Reveal trap card – Widespread Ruin. This card destroys whichever monster has the highest attack on my opponent's side of the field. Bye-bye, Blue Eyes."

"You're not the only one with a trap card of the field," Kaiba retorted childishly. "I activate Magical Trick Mirror, which I'll use to steal your Soul of the Pure card and raise my life points by 800!"

"Great move," she said, clapping sarcastically. "But that still doesn't change the fact that I took away your favorite monster."

Kaiba smirked. "Trust me, that's not the last you've seen of him. For now, I'll just have Battle Ox destroy your pathetic monster."

The snarling beast charged the field and swung its axe right through Bone Crusher's skull. Many of the previous attacks inspired a feeling of fear inside Dani, but this one just grossed her out. Shaking her head in an attempt to get rid of the graphic imagery, Dani drew another card and considered what her next move should be. _The only thing he has on the field right now is that gross ox. I should destroy that while I have the chance. Plus, with no monsters on my side of the field, I can special summon my Cyber Dragon without any sacrifice._

"Now it's time for you to meet a dragon of my own. Say hello to Cyber Dragon (2100/1600)!"

"Am I supposed to be concerned?" Kaiba asked in his condescending tone.

For once, Dani put her frustrations aside and stayed focused on the task at hand. "You should be," she said shortly. "Cyber Dragon, destroy his Battle Ox."

A quick blast of energy from the dragon's mouth eliminated the Battle Ox and brought Kaiba's life points down to 2400. Knowing Kaiba wouldn't go down easily, Dani placed the Call of the Haunted trap face-down, just in case, and ended her turn.

Kaiba continued looking unaffected by his current position as the loser. That changed slightly when he drew a card that would apparently benefit him. "I play Card of Demise, which lets me draw until I have five cards. Don't worry - if I don't use all the cards in my hand five turns from now, I lose whatever's left."

"Oh, I'm not worried," she sneered. "Please, continue with your pathetic drawn out move."

"You'll regret those words," he shot back. Since he only had one monster card in hand, Kaiba drew four additional cards. "I'll play X-Head Cannon (1800/1500) in attack mode and then this card face-down."

Dani stared at his face-down card, wondering what its function would be. Chances are it'll either defend his monster or destroy hers, which is why he baited her with a monster weaker than hers. Hoping that whatever card she drew would help her make a decision, Dani glanced down and gasped. _This is one of the cards that Yugi's grandpa gave me! I'm sure this field spell will be super useful...once I have a zombie monster to summon. Guess I have no choice but to attack for now._ "Alright, Kaiba. I attack with Cyber Dragon!"

The dragon geared up for another attack, but before it blew a blast of fire at its opponent, the dragon just stopped. "Hey!" Dani shouted. "I said _attack_."

A low rumbling laugh came from Kaiba's side of the field. "You can tell it to attack all you want, but it won't hear you - thanks to my Command Silencer."

"You are such a jerk," she muttered.

"Aw, is someone upset that I ruined her strategy?" he taunted. "Better get used to it! Now, I summon Y-Dragon Head (1500/1600)."

Dani rolled her eyes. "Cool...two monsters weaker than my one."

"You really are an ameateur, aren't you? Don't you know that when any two of the XYZ monsters are removed from play, they can combine into a more powerful monster?"

 _Crap...me and my big mouth._ She watched in embarrassed silence as Kaiba removed the two monsters from play, which combined the cannon and dragon head to form XY Dragon Cannon (2200/1900). "You should stick to your zombies and leave the dragons to me," Kaiba said, smirking as he destroyed her monster.

"You're right," she replied, looking far too pleased for Kaiba's preference. "I think this duel definitely needs some more zombies on the field, so I'm resurrecting an old friend!" Call of the Haunted activated and revived none other than the Vampire Lord.

"Seems like a wasted move."

"Maybe you should let me finish my turn before you make such assumptions," she said, placing Vampire Sorcerer (1500/1500) in defense mode. "Now, this is where it gets interesting...I have the Wasteland field spell...but where the hell is the slot for it?" She tipped her duel disk from left to right but didn't see a slot for field spells.

Kaiba looked as though he wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or roll his eyes at her display of stupidity. He held his own duel disk out and pressed on the angled back side to the left. A card-sized slot opened. "I'm sure even a child could've figured that out."

It became immensely tempting to just end the duel and finish this conflict with her fist in this face. After taking a couple deep breaths, Dani regained her composure and continued her turn by playing Wasteland. Once it was activated, the warehouse floor became covered in a desert-like rocky field. "Now all my zombie-type monsters will receive a little attack and defense boost."

"That still won't be good enough to spare you from losing this duel," he sneered. _With this Flute of Summoning Dragon and Lord of Dragons, I could summon this Blue Eyes in my hand and prove that nothing she does will stop my dragons...but I think I'll save this for when I have the third Blue eyes in my hand as well. Then I can make the most of the flute's effect._

Since XY Dragon Cannon and Vampire Lord now had equal attack strengths, the obvious target for this turn's attack was Vampire Sorcerer. One blast from XY Dragon Cannon easily destroyed the Sorcerer. "For once, I feel like I should thank you for attacking - now I get to activate the Sorcerer's special ability!" Dani cheered. "I can take any vampire magic card from my deck and move it directly to my hand."

And she knew _exactly_ which card she wanted - Vampire Kingdom. This magic card would give her zombies an additional 500 attack points during damage calculation. Without hesitation, Dani played this card at the start of her turn. A massive Transylvanian-esque village and castle appeared behind her and turned the dusty desert into a moonlit wasteland covered in black sand. "Alright, Vampire Lord, let's get rid of his XY Dragon Cannon!"

Enhanced by the combined power of Vampire Kingdom and Wasteland, Vampire Lord (2700) was now strong enough to destroy Kaiba's monster and take 500 life points in the process.

Although he looked slightly vexed, Kaiba still didn't seem to express any signs of concern. He drew his next card in silence and determined his strategy. _I can't just leave my life points open, but I also can't lose the Lord of Dragons before I'm able to summon_ both _of my Blue Eyes. This trap card should buy me one more turn to draw the card I need._ He played Lord of Dragons (1200/1100) in defense mode and then added an Attack Guidance Armor trap facedown.

It was tempting to point out how desperate of a move that was, but Dani managed to refrain. _I guess now's the time to use Monster Reborn. That way I'll have two monsters on the field - one to deal with that face-down defense monster and one to wipe out his life points. And even if his other card is a trap, I should still be able to get rid of his monster this turn._

"Better call your house staff and tell them to prepare a room for me because this duel's just about over," she said boldly. "Now, I'll play Monster Reborn to bring back a familiar monster - your precious Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

"WHAT?!" Kaiba cried, enraged.

"It's not fun when someone uses your own monsters against you, is it?" she said scornfully. "Bet it'll hurt even more when Blue Eyes wipes out the last of your defenses. White lightning!"

Of course, Kaiba _knew_ the attack wouldn't actually follow through, but just for show, he feigned a look of panicked anticipation. The bright stream of white lightning flew across the field and was heading right toward his monster. Before it got too close, Kaiba activated his trap. A metallic mask-like armor wrapped itself around Vampire Lord's torso. The moment the armor was attached, the beam of lightning redirected. Dani cursed under her breath as she watched her favorite monster be destroyed once again. After losing 300 life points, Dani played one card face-down and bitterly ended her turn.

Despite being upset that his dragon was on Dani's side of the field, Kaiba was feeling oddly positive. He stared across the field at his dragon and exhaled. His strategy almost completely depended on him drawing the right card now. If he didn't get his last remaining Blue Eyes, then he could still summon the one already in his hand, but it'd feel very unsatisfactory. Closing his eyes and trying his best not to hear Yugi's speech about the "heart of the cards" in the back of his head, Kaiba drew his card. _YES! It's the final Blue Eyes._

"You may think that having one Blue Eyes on your side is impressive - well, it's not. Get ready to see true power as I play the Flute of Summoning Dragon!"

A dragon-shaped flute appeared in the hands of the Lord of Dragons. He blew it for a few seconds and then two monsters started to materialize behind him. Dani bit her lower lip anxiously, already knowing which two dragons were played. Since Kaiba knew that his fifth turn was approaching, he placed Polymerization face-down on the field, thus emptying his hand.

Dani thought that having a Blue Eyes on her side of the field would give her an advantage - but of course Kaiba had to take it step further and summon _two_ Blue Eyes. It would be pointless to attack one of his dragons because then she'd lose hers, too. The monster she just drew was incredibly weak and its special effect was of no use to her. Until she could figure out a way out of this corner she'd been backed into, she played Ghost Charon, the Underworld Boatman (500/0) and activated her Swords of Revealing Light card.

Before Kaiba could give his negative commentary, Dani said, "I'm aware that this card is used to buy time, and I have no problem admitting that that's what I'm using it for. Because I know there are some terrifying cards left in my deck and if I can draw them within the next three turns, you _will_ lose this duel."

Before ending her turn, Dani had Blue Eyes destroy the Lord of Dragons for good measure.

Much to her surprise, Kaiba's turn went by swiftly. He drew a card and ended his turn. Then again there wasn't much else for him to do thanks to her Swords of Revealing Light. Dani, on the other hand, drew a card that would allow her to do some serious damage. "You are so screwed," she said, laughing a little as she played Overpowering Eye, which allows any zombie-type monster with less than 2000 attack points to attack directly.

Ghost Charon, now boosted to 1200 attack points thanks to the Vampire Kingdom and Wasteland cards, gained glowing red eyes that allowed him to see past Kaiba's monsters and execute his direct attack. Kaiba grunted in pain as his life points fell to a measly 700. To make matters worse, his turn was once again uneventful as he drew a card, placed it face-down, and ended his turn.

Dani wanted to drag this turn out. She wanted to savor the fact that she had Kaiba's monster on her side of the field - and that she had just drawn a very powerful vampire monster. After sacrificing Ghost Charon, Dani summoned Vampire Vamp (2000/2000) and was quick to activate its ability.

Before it attacked, the armored female vampire glided across the field and sunk her teeth into Blue Eyes' neck, which allowed her to gain the dragon's 3000 attack points. Now Vampire Vamp was considerably stronger than Blue Eyes.

Unfortunately, Kaiba had an arsenal of trap cards ready to block her attacks - beginning with Negate Attack. Once the smoke cleared from the negated attack, Kaiba could clearly see Dani's look of extreme disappointment. He laughed coldly and shrugged. "How many times do I have to tell you? Your animated corpses will never be able to defeat my dragons!"

"I'm not really one for giving up, so I'm just going to keep coming at you with everything I've got!"

"Your funeral," he said flatly, drawing a card. Once again, Kaiba thwarted her attack with another trap - Interdimensional Matter Transporter.

Although she felt mildly annoyed that he was able to dodge her attack not once, but _twice_ , Dani wasn't defeated just yet. She knew that there was no way he'd continue drawing trap cards that could protect himself, so she just had to be patient.

But when Kaiba drew his next turn, the look on his face sent chills right down her spine. _What card could he have possibly drawn that would cause him to look so...murderous?_

"I honestly feel _bad_ for you," he said, laughing. "I've just drawn the exact card I need to summon my ultimate monster."

"I thought the Blue Eyes was your 'ultimate monster?'" she taunted.

Kaiba scoffed. "I think you'll find that that's not too far from the truth in just a few seconds. First, I play Enemy Controller!"

Dani felt her heart sink - she knew exactly which monster he was going to steal from her. _Doesn't that figure? I couldn't even get the satisfaction of attacking him with Blue Eyes...now he gets what he wants!_

Sure enough, Kaiba used the controller to steal back his dragon. "Now that all three Blue Eyes White Dragons are on my side of the field, I'll use Polymerization to fuse them into Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon (4500/3800)!"

"No!" Dani shouted in defiance. _At least he can't attack right away, since that's a fusion monster_ , she thought, attempting to stay optimistic - but of course Kaiba had other plans.

"With this Quick Attack card, I'll use my dragon to destroy what was probably your last good offensive monster! NEUTRON BLAST!"

Each of the dragon's mouths opened in unison and shot a multi-colored blast at her vamp. There wasn't enough time for her monster's effect to activate, so it was decimated instantly. Dani grimaced as the numbers on her duel disk dramatically dropped down to 800.

Glancing down at her hand, Dani realized that all hope wasn't lost just yet. She had two very useful traps in her hand - Trap Hole and Spirit Shield, which was the other card Yugi's grandpa gave her. So as of right now, she could destroy his monster and have a well-stocked arsenal of defenses to protect what little life points she had left. _If I can draw a monster on this next draw, I might just be able to win!_

She drew her card with her eyes squeezed shut. After a moment passed, she opened one eye and nearly screamed with excitement. She drew Vampire Lady (1550/1550). Now all she had to do was lure him to attack and then finish him off next turn. "I summon a monster in defense mode and place one card face down. Your move," she said, her voice holding a fierce edge of confidence.

"I see I've worn you down to your last resort," he said happily. "This duel is over! Finish her, Blue Eyes!"

When the dragon initiated its attack, the ground beneath it started trembling and collapsing. Dani silently activated her Trap Hole so it would be more of a devastating surprise. The dragon fell into the depths of her hole and would hopefully never be seen again. "I assume that ends your turn?" she asked, smirking.

"Not exactly," he replied in a calm tone. He pressed a button on the magic/trap card section and an enlarged version of the Monster Reborn card appeared.

 _What?! But...I didn't even see him play a face down card. He's gotta be cheating...,_ Dani thought as a crippling wave of panic started settling in.

Much to Dani's disdain, Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon reappeared and wiped out her Vampire Lady.

Fortunately, thanks to the card from Yugi's grandpa, her life points would be safe long enough for her to formulate a plan. She knew there were cards strong enough to get her out of this mess, she just needed to draw them. With her first draw after the revival of Kaiba's dragon being unsuccessful, she was forced to end her turn and wait for his attack to trigger her trap.

Kaiba, knowing himself to truly be the superior of the two duelists, didn't feel the need to prolong this duel any longer. "I must admit - I didn't expect you to survive this long, but once my Blue Eyes attacks, this duel is done."

Dani rolled her eyes before acting as though she was starting to accept defeat. "Just do it," she muttered.

The moment that the dragon opened its mouths to attack, Dani revealed her Spirit Shield trap. "I remove from play Vampire Lord, Vampire Lady, 13th Grave, Vampire Sorcerer, and Vampire Vamp to activate my Spirit Shield. Although their cards have been taken out of the game, their spirits will come back to protect me!"

"Whatever," Kaiba shrugged. "Instead of destroying you now, it'll just have to wait five more turns."

Once Dani's ghastly gang of revived zombie spirits finished materializing in front of her, Kaiba began his assault. The first of his victims was the 13th Grave. In response, Dani summoned Blood Sucker (1300/1500) in defense mode. Since Kaiba was foolish enough to focus on taking out her spirits first, Dani was able to use Blood Sucker as a sacrifice for the powerful Red Eyes Zombie Dragon (2400/2000), which can be tribute summoned using one zombie monster as a sacrifice.

 _I hate to admit it, but this really is a last-ditch effort to win. Red Eyes isn't strong enough to take down his dragon - but if I could draw a couple boosting magic cards, it could rival his dragon in strength. Oh well...at least with all my monsters and spirits in defense mode, I can keep dragging this out till I can turn things around,_ Dani thought, biting her lower lip in nervous contemplation.

A couple more turns passed, leaving nothing but Vampire Lord's spirit and the Red Eyes Zombie Dragon on Dani's side of the field. She'd used up any remaining zombies in her graveyard, so once Vampire Lord was destroyed, she'd lose her Spirit Shield, too.

As Kaiba was drawing his next card, Dani noticed that the Vampire Lord appeared to be looking at something off to the side of the field - almost as though he were aware of something over there. _But, how can that be? He's a freaking a hologram!_ Nevertheless, Dani followed his gaze and saw a wall of meters. She'd noticed the meters when they first entered the warehouse - but now the needles were spinning rapidly. _That can't be good…_

"Didn't you say that this place used to be used to make weapons?" she asked, interrupting him just as he was about to issue an attack.

"Yeah?" he replied, annoyance very evident in his tone.

"Aren't you concerned that these attacks could trigger some kind of reaction? What if some of those weapons are still down here?"

"All the weapons were removed shortly after I took over Kaiba Corp. I bet you think these questions are a clever way to distract me or postpone this duel, but it's not going to happen!"

With that, his Blue Eyes destroyed her last vampire, and her trap card shattered. "I'm not trying to do either of those things, Kaiba," she shot back defensively. "I know it sounds crazy, but what if I'm right? These holograms are more lifelike than I could've ever imagined...I mean I felt _pain_ during some of those attacks. If that's the case, a blast from your dragon could easily influence our surroundings...in a very bad way."

Kaiba glanced over at the meters and, for just a moment, there was a flash of concern on his otherwise expressionless face. _No...she's just exaggerating the situation because she knows she's going to lose. I'll finish this in the next turn and then send her back to her stupid game shop. Then, tomorrow morning I can begin finalizing my tournament plans. Just one more attack…_

"That's the kind of nonsense only a loser would say. If you want this duel to end so suddenly, why don't you just surrender?"

"I already told you - I don't give up," she replied, drawing a card. With concern taking precedence over concentration, Dani felt like she couldn't even think about what she could do to turn things around. Before she could announce the end of her turn, Kaiba had already drawn his next card and looked way too ecstatic for her preference.

"It's over!" he shouted, playing Stop Defense. This card forced Dani's Red Eyes Zombie Dragon into attack mode. "Don't look so disappointed. You were never going to win with a zombified version of Wheeler's dragon."

"Actually, from what I've heard, Joey's Red Eyes has come to his rescue a ton of times in duels," she said, smirking.

"Is that what you and your lab partner talk about in Chemistry class?"

Dani snorted. "Why...are you jealous?"

Kaiba's eyes widened briefly before narrowing. "What? Don't be ridiculous. I would never be jealous of some low-life like Wheeler."

"Could've fooled me," she said in a sing-song voice.

Growing very frustrated, Kaiba ignored her comment and issued his final attack. "Go, Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon! Destroy her last pitiful monster and end this duel."

All playfulness drained from Dani's face as the dragons' mouths opened and prepared to launch their final Neutron Blast. Dani's eyes darted over to the meters. Now instead of spinning wildly, the needles were just edging toward the end...into the red. "Kaiba, call off the attack! Something's not right…" she pleaded.

"Not gonna happen," he said gruffly. The command was issued, and the dragon followed through with its attack. The blast blew right through her undead dragon and triggered a chain of explosions from the monster's destruction.

The intensity of the blast sent Dani flying into the wall. Blood leaked from a forehead wound and onto her eye. Just before losing consciousness, she saw her life points drop to zero through a crimson tint.

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 **A/N:** Looks like Dani's concerns weren't that farfetched...what do you think Kaiba will do to make things right? What's going to happen at school when Duke notices that Kaiba AND Dani are both absent? Plenty of drama ahead in the next chapter!

Once again, I apologize if any card effects were used incorrectly or not mentioned...it's all for the sake of the chapter progression.

Leave a comment and tell me what you thought! If I get at least 3 comments, I guarantee there will be another update before Christmas :)


	10. Blood, Sweat, and Tears

**Frozen by Your Side**

 **By: Darkest Ember**

 **Chapter 10: Blood, Sweat, and Tears**

* * *

 **Summary:** Dani Devlin is Duke Devlin's estranged twin sister. When they were younger, their father had asked a local game shop owner, Solomon Muto, to teach him to be a game master. They end up playing a dangerous game that ages their father 50 years in one night. From that moment on, he becomes obsessed with vengeance and plans to use Duke as a means to that revenge. Unable to save them both, their mother escapes with Dani and moves to America. A few years later, Dani starts to see the negative changes in her brother and decides to move back to Domino during her junior year of high school to save him. There, she meets Yugi and the gang, who all share her love for Duel Monsters. She hopes that they can also help Duke return to his old self. And then there's Seto Kaiba. Dani doesn't exactly get off on the right foot with him, but perhaps he is the one who can change _her_ for the better.

Takes place between the Duelist Kingdom and Dungeon Dice Monster arcs. Inspired by the manga storyline that shows "Mr. Clown" (Duke's dad) as the reason why Duke challenges Yugi.

 **Pairing:** Kaiba x OC

* * *

Three shiny metallic dragon heads peered through the thick black fog. They let out a mighty roar before shooting a tri-colored lightning blast into the air. This attack briefly cleared some of the fog and allowed Dani to see her surroundings more clearly. She was in the middle of a desert - only there was no sun or scorching heat; instead, there was a chill in the shadowy air.

As the fog started to roll back in, Dani frantically glanced around. She knew the dragon was only a few feet in front of her, so she subconsciously took steps backward as she continued her survey. When those steps became more panicked, she became more clumsy and ended up tripping over something - or rather _someone_. A piercing scream echoed throughout the barren landscape as Dani realized she'd fallen over a desiccated Vampire Lord. Upon closer examination, she saw that the rest of the desert was covered in the corpses of her monsters.

The ground trembled as the dragon approached. Dani scrambled to get back on her feet and run. She definitely didn't want to become another corpse in this graveyard.

"There's only one thing left to destroy, Blue Eyes. Finish her!" Kaiba's booming voice echoed throughout the empty space. The sound of his voice caused Dani to freeze in her tracks. It was the last thing she'd heard before...before the explosion. Any contemplation vanished the moment the dragons opened their mouth to issue one last attack. The light reflecting from their metallic bodies was blinding compared to the surrounding darkness. Dani cried out as the Neutron Blast passed right through her and turned everything white…

A bracing gasp for air pulled Dani out of her nightmare and into an equally blinding white reality. She blinked a few times to clear her blurry vision and take in her surroundings. _Am I...am I at the hospital?_ Flashes of her duel with Kaiba mixed with images from that nightmare she just had, and she was struggling to piece together what happened.

When she tried to sit up, a burning pain crept from her forehead, around the base of her skull, and all the way down her spine. She whimpered as she slowly lowered herself back into the pillows. Staring at the pure white ceiling and listening to the sounds of her ragged breathing and beeping machines didn't do much to console her. She craned her neck a little to get a better view of the rest of the room and was surprised to see she wasn't alone.

Kaiba was slumped in a chair at the end of the bed with his white trench coat draped over his body like a blanket. Despite surely being uncomfortable in such a position, Dani couldn't help but notice how peaceful he looked when he slept. His lips weren't curled in their usual condescending smirk, and there was an absence of arrogant scowls. A part of her wanted to believe that he had slept at the hospital all night because he was genuinely concerned about her...maybe he was even apologetic for attacking despite her warning. Yet, the more likely reason he was there was to prevent her from pressing charges the moment she regained consciousness.

"What are you staring at?" he mumbled.

Dani gasped and felt her cheeks burn bright red. "I...I didn't know you were awake," she said awkwardly.

"It's pretty hard to fall asleep when the other person in the room keeps crying and screaming in her sleep," he replied, narrowing his eyes at her over the curve of his collar before adjusting his position and closing his eyes again.

"I was….?" she whispered, cringing at the memory of her most recent nightmare. Not appreciating his tone, she shot back, "Good thing you're not a doctor. Your bedside manner sucks."

* * *

Duke angrily pressed the "end call" button on his phone for what felt like the hundredth time this morning. He had tried texting her the previous night - first apologizing for their father's unexpected appearance, then attempting to coax Dani to come back for one last redemption round of arcade games. After his discussion with his father, Duke had every intention of keeping Dani as close as possible so she won't realize that she's actually helping him take down Yugi, but now it felt like she was somehow purposely avoiding him when he needed her most.

As he pulled into the school parking lot, Duke reminded himself that his plan _will_ still work - with or without Dani's unknowing help. His father had this planned for years, but the timing and circumstances needed to be just right. After the world found out that Yugi supposedly defeated Pegasus, the Duel Monsters _creator_ , Duke insisted that the time was right. His father agreed and pushed the final stages of construction for their game shop forward. That would be the other part of their vengeance; with a massive shop like the Black Clown, the Muto's insignificant Kame shop would be out of business in no time.

But as more and more texts went ignored and calls rang endlessly into voicemail, Duke's confidence was shifting into concern. Although they haven't lived together in a few years, Duke knew this his sister's temper, much like his own, could be downright terrifying at times - and it wasn't like her to pass up this opportunity to yell at him at the very least.

After one more failed attempt at reaching her, he tossed the phone in his backpack and got out of his car. _She's probably already in homeroom with one of her new friends. I swear if she came to school with that Kaiba creep again, that guy's face is going to get rearranged,_ he thought, bitterly.

For the first time since transferring to Domino High, Duke completely ignored the crowds of girls that practically drooled over him in the halls and went straight to homeroom. When he turned the corner into the classroom, he felt equally disappointed and enraged. Even though some students were standing in clusters, Duke could tell that there were two desks that were definitely empty - Dani _and_ Kaiba's.

It was tempting to just turn around and skip classes for the day, but with the game shop opening tomorrow, Duke couldn't risk getting detention. He walked back into the classroom with clenched fists and sat in his desk. While he tried to formulate a plan to find Dani, Yugi and his friends were sitting in their usual spot by the window. Duke couldn't hear the full extent of the conversation, but he could tell that Joey was making some dumb big-mouthed comment, which earned a reprimanding response from Téa. He stole a glance in their direction and almost immediately made eye contact with Yugi. The moment their eyes met, Yugi's laughter fell flat and he became solemn.

* * *

It didn't make any sense. Dani was in a huge bed, stacked with comfy pillows and heated blankets and Kaiba was slouched over in a cold, plastic chair with no pillow and a makeshift blanket - yet he looked far more comfortable than she felt. Didn't he feel racked with guilt for what happened? How could he sleep so soundly when every time she attempted to close her eyes it was nothing but nightmares?

Not wanting to sulk in her bed any longer, Dani drew in a sharp breath and then ripped the IV from her arm. A thick trail of blood dripped down her arm and stained the white sheet. Surprisingly, that didn't hurt _nearly_ as much as the physical action of getting out of the bed. The moment her feet touched the ground, she doubled over in pain and clutched the bed's railing for support. Her skin felt like it was on fire as a dull pain started violently pulsating across her skull. Her vision blurred with tears. It took her a moment to realize it, but the shrieking sound she'd been hearing was her own screams.

It was becoming near impossible to grip the railing any longer with her sweaty palms. Just before she lost her grip, Kaiba appeared behind her and broke her fall. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he grunted, scooping her up in his arms and dropping her back onto the bed. "Now I'm going to have to tell the doctor to come back."

Dani scoffed. "So you run the Domino Hospital, too?"

"Don't be ridiculous. I have my own on-call doctor, who I sent home because I stupidly thought that there wouldn't be any further need for him here."

"Here?" she wondered aloud. _There's no way Kaiba has his own medical wing in his house…_

Kaiba looked at her with a confused expression - as though he were actually wondering if she'd suffered some brain damage from the explosion. "Yes, here. The Kaiba Mansion. Where else would we be?"

"Oh I am _so_ sorry, Kaiba. It's just that most people don't have their own mini hospital in their houses, so forgive me for assuming that we were in a hospital," she said with venomous sarcasm. "And speaking of forgiveness, aren't you going to apologize?"

"For what?" Kaiba asked dismissively.

"For THIS?!" she exclaimed, pointing to her bandaged forehead.

He crossed his arms over his chest and stared out the window. "I'm giving you whatever medical attention you need, free of charge, until you're fully recovered. Isn't that enough?"

"No," she said stubbornly. "Because if you had just listened to me, this never would've happened!"

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "And what was I supposed to do? Just never attack? Just stand there until one of us ran out of cards?"

"Wasn't that supposed to be a test to see what the duel disks were capable of? Weren't you curious to see what would happen if you were to pick up the projectors and move mid-duel?"

"I highly doubt that would ever need to happen."

"Well, it needed to happen last night."

"I wasn't just going to let the duel go on forever...and I certainly wasn't going to surrender."

"There are more important things in life than the outcome of a duel!" she said angrily.

"It's not just about the duel!" he shot back, approaching her bed. "It's about being the best, about being successful."

"There are also more important things than 'being the best,'" she replied, scooting further up the bed as he got closer.

He held onto the railing with one hand and placed another on the bed as he leaned down, effectively towering over her. "I wouldn't expect someone like you to understand," he said lowly.

Despite the discomfort she felt from his proximity, she managed to keep her voice calm and steady as she replied, "What do you mean - someone like me?"

His lip curled upward in a twisted smirk. "A loser."

Enraged, she found the strength to lift her arm and swing a punch in his direction. With him being so close, she was sure that even in her injured state she would make contact - but he grabbed her wrist just before she could. There was an intense, menacing glint in his eyes as he maintained eye contact with her. He held onto her wrist a moment longer before returning to his chair across the room.

After a few minutes of deafening silence, she said, "You know, Mokuba told me that you weren't always this way, that this wasn't the real you - but I don't believe that. You're just an egotistical asshole that can't face his own shortcomings, so you lash out at anyone who remotely cares about you."

"Not that I have to justify anything to you, but Mokuba isn't wrong. Things weren't always like this...I wasn't always like this. But sometimes things happen in life that you can't control, so you either deal with it or let it destroy you."

Dani's frown softened. She wanted to know more about his past - find out what he was like before he was adopted. "Besides the adoption, what else could've been so bad? Look at everything you have. People would kill for this lifestyle."

The manic look in his eyes had melted into sorrow when he looked back at her. Sighing, he relinquished his grip on the railing and and sat on the edge of the bed. "It might seem that way, but bad things keep happening and threatening to take away everything I care about. At the height of everything, I had taken over a multi-billion dollar company, created the holographic technology seen in dueling arenas today, and became the number one duelist in the world. But everything fell apart the day that Yugi and I dueled…"

 _It sounds like he was more upset from his loss against Yugi than all the cruelty his step-father subjected him to_ , Dani thought, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "Okay, so you made it past the dark time in your life and now you're a freaking teenage billionaire. Don't tell me you're all bitter because Yugi beat you in a card game."

"It's about so much more than _losing_ that game. After that loss, my brother was kidnapped, my company was nearly taken from me, and...according to Yugi and his pathetic gang of friends, I lost my soul." His strong words began trailing off at the mention of what happened in Duelist Kingdom. Regardless of whether he really did lose his soul or not, Kaiba preferred to not think about what happened on that island. "My brother has been saved and my company is still under my command, obviously. Pegasus was defeated. So there's only one thing left for me to do before I can truly put my past behind me. I have to beat Yugi and reclaim my rightful title as the world's best duelist."

Almost all of Dani's previously judgmental attitude had been cast aside in favor of sympathy. _Maybe if I can keep making cracks in this shield he put up, I'll get to see the real Seto Kaiba._ Without thinking, she reached out and placed her hand on his. They both looked down at their hands and then looked away with burning red cheeks.

"Holy crap, I didn't know about all of _that_ ," she murmured. "Look - it's okay to have goals, but you can't become obsessed. I'm sure you and Yugi will get the chance to have a rematch…"

And just like that, the moment of sentiment was gone. "Hmph," Kaiba scoffed, getting off the bed. He put his trench coat back on and walked toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Dani asked, despising how needy she sounded.

"To call the doctor," he said flatly, pausing at the door. "You're bleeding through your bandages."

* * *

Seven times. Duke had sent a text seven times throughout the school day - once during each class. Yet when he checked his phone on his way out, there was still not a single response. What little concern he had left prompted him to take the longest route possible to the game shop so that he could scan the streets.

With any luck, he'd find her just wandering around Domino with a dead cell phone in her purse and a perfectly logical explanation for her absence. But after an hour of being foolishly hopeful, Duke decided to face reality. For whatever reason, his sister wanted to be alone and away from everyone. He had a game shop opening tomorrow that needed to be prepped for its grand opening. _If she doesn't care about me, then why should I care about her?_ He thought bitterly, taking a sharp U-turn and speeding back to the Black Clown.

The sound of a familiar voice barking orders was not a welcoming sound as Duke walked through the double doors. Mr. Devlin's anger was quickly diverted from the squeamish squad of, in Mr. Devlin's opinion, inexperienced new employees to his son. "Why don't you all just take a break and we'll resume training in fifteen minutes. Go! Get out of my sight!"

"And YOU!" he barked at Duke. "Where the hell have you been, boy?"

Duke grimaced, knowing that his answer was probably going to upset his father even more. "Dani didn't show up at school today and she hasn't answered her phone either. I was worried, so I drove around town looking for her."

Mr. Devlin had been wearing his clown mask, but he decided it best to remove the mask so that his son could be reminded of the whole reason why they're seeking vengeance. "I understand that you care for her because she's your twin sister, but she doesn't care about you. How many damn times do I have to point that out to you? Your mother and sister abandoned us. They made their decision and we must live with that."

"But...Dani came back," Duke said softly. "And she's still useful to us like I explained yesterday."

"What good is she if she's not at school and not interacting with the Muto boy? This plan will not succeed if you're distracted, do you understand? The only thing on your mind right now should be how you're going to bring our enemy down...how you'll humiliate him...how you'll take what's most dear to him."

"I know, but-."

"Don't you dare say another word," Mr. Devlin seethed, limping toward Duke. "Your sole purpose in this life is to bring down Yugi Muto. It's not this shop - I've already picked up your slack - and it's definitely not your sister. If you fail tomorrow, there will be severe consequences."

* * *

After Kaiba left and she had nothing but silence to contemplate their conversation, Dani wanted nothing more than to get out of that godforsaken room. Fortunately, once the doctor re-treated her wound and checked her vitals, he agreed that it would be best for her to try walking around and regain her footing. As she walked past the window in the hall, she saw the limo pull into the circular driveway, which meant Mokuba was probably home now. _At least he won't make me wonder if I want to cry or punch a wall…_

Based on Mokuba's excitedly surprised expression, Dani realized that Kaiba hadn't informed his brother of what had happened last night. She told him about the duel, about his cool technology, and about how his final attack caused her injury. By the time she finished her recap, Mokuba's eyes were wide in disbelief. "I-I'm so sorry that you got hurt, Dani. But don't you worry, Seto will make sure you heal in no time," he said, grinning.

"Here's to hoping," she muttered.

Sensing that Dani wasn't nearly as optimistic as he was, Mokuba decided to try and cheer her up. "I have an idea! You can have whatever you want for dinner and our chef will make it for you," he said giddily. "Food always makes me feel better."

"Especially junk food," Kaiba teased.

Dani nearly jumped at the unexpected sound of his voice. She glanced over her shoulder and saw him leaning casually against one of the pillars. "That's really sweet, Mokuba," she said, purposely ignoring the other person in the room. "But I think I just want to order a pizza or something."

"Are you kidding? Have you _seen_ this kitchen? You gotta let us make something for you."

She shrugged. "Sorry, kiddo, I guess you could say that pizza is my comfort food."

Mokuba's crestfallen expression only lasted a few seconds as the wheels in his mind continued cranking out ideas. "Wait right here, let me go check on something."

While they waited, Kaiba made his way further into the living room and sat on the couch. "Do you think you'll actually be able to keep those bandages on this time?"

"I'm sure I could - but that would go against my newest mission in life: to do whatever I can to annoy Seto Kaiba."

In response, she heard a small rumbling sound that sounded like a stifled laugh. But before he could make some typical side comment, Mokuba rushed into the room. "Good news, guys. Chef said that he found some pizza dough in the refridgerator! We can make our own pizza here."

"You two have fun with that. And try not to burn the house down," Kaiba said, attempting to make a quick retreat.

"It's fine, Mokuba. It'll taste better without h-his AHHHH," she cried, doubling over in pain as she tried to make her way to the kitchen.

Kaiba rushed over to her side and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?" She stole a glance at him through all the raven colored hair that had fallen across her face and was surprised to see shreds of genuine concern in his expression. _Ah, so he_ does _really care_ , she thought, laughing internally. "On second thought, I guess I will stay down here and supervise. With your luck, you'll end up accidentally burning your hand or something."

Successfully getting what she wanted, Dani stuck her tongue out and laughed at his confused expression as she leapt to her feet. "I'm all drugged up on painkillers right now," she laughed. "I can't feel a thing! You should've seen your face though."

"I'm really starting to hate you," he grumbled, walking into the kitchen.

* * *

Much to everyone's surprise, the pizza turned out perfectly. "This was a great idea, Mokuba," Dani said before chowing down.

"Nothing went wrong - consider me impressed," Kaiba added, giving as close as they'd ever get to a compliment from him.

They each carried their plates and drinks into the living room and watched TV. As Dani finished her second slice, she was about to return to the kitchen for another plateful, but froze when she saw a commercial for Duke's game shop.

Perhaps the painkillers were wearing off or maybe she was just given a jolt back to reality, but Dani suddenly felt physically and emotionally pained. "I...I need some fresh air," she murmured, leaving the plate on the coffee table and bolting for the door to the back patio.

As to be expected, most of Dani's focus during the day had been on her injury and last night's duel. She hadn't once thought about all the classes she missed today or what Duke planned on doing tomorrow. What if he already got to Yugi while she was absent today? _At least I was able to give Yugi a warning so he'll be on his guard_.

But even that thought wasn't enough to comfort her. Tears began rolling down her cheeks as she wondered why her brother had to be going down the same twisted path their father had walked. To make matters worse, she hadn't been able to help him see the light, despite being back in Japan for a couple months now. _Maybe Kaiba was right...I am just a loser. Can't beat him in a duel, can't save my brother from our insane father, probably gonna flunk out of school at this rate._

Her string of self-hate and doubt would've gone on for at least another hour if the sound of the patio door opening hadn't interrupted her thoughts. "Dani, what are you doing out here? If you don't come back in, Seto might finish the pizza," Mokuba said, laughing.

"He can have it," she said softly. "I'm not feeling very hungry anymore."

"Is something wrong? You just came out here so suddenly."

"I guess the painkillers are wearing off," she said, half-honestly. "I feel like someone hit me in the back of the head with a bat." For good measure, she cradled her head in her hands as she leaned forward in the chair. "Don't worry about me, though. I'll be back inside soon."

"Okay...," Mokuba said, unconvinced. "Just let us know if you need anything."

* * *

"Give it a rest, Mokuba! I'm doing what I can to help her heal," Kaiba said, wanting to do anything but go out there and comfort her.

"...from an injury you technically caused. Look, she said it was physical pain that was causing her to cry, but I don't buy it."

Kaiba gave him a pointed look before continuing. "You're probably right, but I shouldn't have to cure her of whatever emotional drama she's dealing with now."

"Would it really kill you to just go out there and talk to her?"

The fact that Kaiba didn't immediately fire off a string of excuses seemed to be enough of an answer. As he walked toward the back patio, he paused and glanced at Mokuba over his shoulder. "You can't keep giving me these guilt trips every time she's here."

"Hopefully you'll just approach her on your own next time and I won't have to have these conversations with you, big brother."

"Hopefully there won't be a 'next time,'" he muttered. It was becoming more and more difficult for Kaiba to be around this girl without maintaining his normal and _comfortable_ icy exterior. And that terrified him.

* * *

Once she presumed she'd be left alone for the rest of her time outside, Dani pulled her legs up to her chest and gently rested her chin on her knees. Now, instead of thinking about all the things she's done wrong, she was trying to think of how she'd make things right, but that was doing little more than adding a layer of stress that she really did not need right now. _How will I recover enough to make it to school tomorrow? What will my excuse be when people ask where I was...why my head has a bandage wrapped around it? I know Duke will have a million questions for me and I feel bad for not responding to all his texts and calls, but I seriously don't know if I'll be able to talk to him either via phone or in person without going off on him._

"What else could possibly be wrong now?" Kaiba asked, not even bothering to disguise his utter disinterest in being out there.

This time his presence truly caught her off guard, and she jumped out of the chair, ending up a tangled mess on the floor. Before standing back up, she quickly wiped away any tear trails on her cheeks. "If you don't actually care, then why did you bother asking?" she shot back, sincerely not in the mood for his attitude.

"Because you weren't going to burden my little brother with all your drama, so I decided to give it a shot. Spill - what's wrong?" he asked. In the gleaming moonlight, Kaiba could see that her eyes were still watery. The pitiful sight certainly tugged at his heartstrings, just like he feared it would.

It felt like she'd been backed into a corner. She couldn't convince Kaiba that she was just crying because she was in pain, so it seemed unavoidable. She'd have to tell him about what's going on with Duke and his plans for revenge. Not wanting to bore him with details of previous years or freak him out with details of what happened when her father lost that 'penalty game,' she kept her story as concise as possible and was amazed to see that he was actually interested in the situation.

"So let me see if I've got this straight. Duke is getting revenge on your father's behalf by tricking Yugi into showing up at his game shop grand opening and broadcasting their duel for the whole town to see his humiliating defeat? Not bad. There's just two problems with that plan - one, I doubt your brother is skilled enough to take down the 'king of games,' and two, if anyone's going to publically defeat Yugi, it's going to be me."

"For once, I think I agree with you. Besides, if anyone's going to challenge Yugi, I'd rather it be you. At least your reasons aren't so...malevolent. But what am I supposed to do? I told Yugi I'd do what I can to protect him, but I can't do much from here…"

Kaiba stared at the sprawling backyard with a pensive expression. "I'm only helping you with this so that I can still get what I want in the end."

"Figured as much," Dani said.

"I will do what I can to help you survive the day at school tomorrow and prevent Duke's plan from succeeding. But after this, any debt that I owe to you for your injury will be fulfilled. Next week you will hold up your end of the wager by coming to my office each day after school to help me finalize my tournament plans, got it?"

"Yeah, I get it," she said, standing up and attempting to go back inside. He stood stubbornly in front of the door, mostly for the entertainment of watching her annoyance visibly grow. "Can you move? I just want to go to bed."

"You can't go back inside until you're done being depressed."

She tried to shove past him, but his body was firmly planted in place. "I _am_ done being depressed," she said bitterly. "I just wish you'd learn that it's okay to help someone just for the sake of being their friend. There doesn't have to be some ulterior motive or benefit for you to get involved."

He smirked and stepped aside. "You're preaching to the wrong person."

"We'll see about that," she replied, feeling confident. "I think once I save my brother, you'll be my next target. Sweet dreams, future best friend!"

The disgusted look on Kaiba's face caused her to laugh all the way up the stairs.

* * *

A/N: Don't you just love the back-and-forth banter between Dani and Kaiba? XD The next chapter will take place during the first Dungeon Dice Monsters episode - but with a bit of a twist thanks to Dani and Kaiba's involvement. It should be interesting!

You guys rock! Thanks for getting the three comments in :) I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Let's do the same deal again - 3 comments for an update on/before New Year's lol


	11. Evil Twin Brother, Part I

Frozen by Your Side

By: Darkest Ember

Chapter 11: Evil Twin Brother, Part I

* * *

 **Summary:** Dani Devlin is Duke Devlin's estranged twin sister. When they were younger, their father had asked a local game shop owner, Solomon Muto, to teach him to be a game master. They end up playing a dangerous game that ages their father 50 years in one night. From that moment on, he becomes obsessed with vengeance and plans to use Duke as a means to that revenge. Unable to save them both, their mother escapes with Dani and moves to America. A few years later, Dani starts to see the negative changes in her brother and decides to move back to Domino during her junior year of high school to save him. There, she meets Yugi and the gang, who all share her love for Duel Monsters. She hopes that they can also help Duke return to his old self. And then there's Seto Kaiba. Dani doesn't exactly get off on the right foot with him, but perhaps he is the one who can change _her_ for the better.

Takes place between the Duelist Kingdom and Dungeon Dice Monster arcs. Inspired by the manga storyline that shows "Mr. Clown" (Duke's dad) as the reason why Duke challenges Yugi.

Some chapters will start with a foreshadowing segment of Dani and Kaiba's online chat...neither of them know the true identity of who they're talking to, but end up becoming friends online (picture something like A Cinderella Story with Hillary Duff and Chad Michael Murray).

 **Pairing:** Kaiba x OC

* * *

Unlike the last time Dani spent the night at the Kaiba Mansion, there was no chance of oversleeping - because she couldn't fall asleep at all. There were periods throughout the night when she'd find a sweet, empty reprieve from her writhing pain, but those moments disappeared as soon as the came.

The pain was nothing compared to the anxiety-inducing thoughts of her brother. Duke was far more unpredictable than she had expected, and the anticipation of facing him today was causing her body to go rigid with fear.

Eventually the dark silence became too much for her to bear. Whether she was ready for it or not, it was time for her to face what was to come. She made it a couple feet away from the bed before realizing that her school uniform had been discarded in a bag near the chair that Kaiba had been sleeping in yesterday. _Great...I'm going to look like a wrinkled mess. Very intimidating,_ she thought dejectedly.

If there wasn't so much depending on her presence in school today, Dani would've happily crawled back into bed and continued staring into the darkness. The bed had heated blankets and fluffy pillows. Plus, the clothes she'd been wearing since the doctor's treatment - a baggy white t-shirt and grey sweats with the "KC" logo on them - were incredibly comfy and she didn't want to change out them. Despite the temptation, Dani knew she couldn't turn her back on her brother and her new friends.

Even the slightest motion of pulling a shirt over her head caused her to cringe in pain and curse how weak her body had become. Nevertheless, she managed to change into her uniform and styled her hair in such a way that the bandages on her forehead would be as concealed as possible. The sight of the bandages made her anxiety grow even deeper as she wondered what excuse would be believable enough. She probably wouldn't be able to say it was from playing a _holographic_ card game.

Once she was relatively pleased with her appearance, she grabbed her bag and headed downstairs. She made her way toward the kitchen with a desperate need for coffee, but paused when she heard the sound of slamming cabinets and rustled dishes. Assuming it was just one of the maids or kitchen staff, Dani proceeded into the kitchen. Much to her surprise, the person making all the noise in the kitchen was actually Kaiba.

"Don't you know that most normal high school students sleep until at least 7 o'clock?" she asked, wondering if he ever actually slept for more than a handful of hours each day.

"Don't _you_ know that I'm not a normal high school student?" he retorted.

"Oh, I figured that out within seconds of meeting you," she said with a completely straight face before dipping into a dramatic bow. "Always such an honor to be in the presence of the great Seto Kaiba!"

He scoffed before continuing to rattle cups in the cabinet. "I have more important things to deal with than your crappy acting skills."

"What could be more important?!" she cried, maintaining her over-the-top dramatics. When her comment went ignored, Dani changed the subject. "What exactly are you looking for?"

Kaiba paused his frantic search to sigh in annoyance. "My thermos."

"Seriously?" she asked, cocking her eyebrow in disbelief.

She knew that she would never get near the coffee pot with him in the way, so Dani glanced across the marble countertops in search of the thermos and nearly fell into fits of laughter. "Could you...describe the thermos in question?" she asked, feigning a serious tone.

"Not that you can help - but it's stainless steel and has a black handle," he muttered.

Pausing for effect, Dani said, "You mean like the one sitting in the dish rack by the sink?"

There was a moment of embarrassed silence before Kaiba mumbled a string of curse words under his breath and stormed over to the sink like a pouty 6'1" child. Angry that she found it in mere seconds, he sought vengeance by cutting in front of her as she approached the coffee pot.

"Very mature," she grumbled, grabbing a tumbler and lid from the nearby cabinet. She filled it halfway with ice and then made herself an iced latte. Before she could turn to leave, Kaiba reached out with sudden force and gripped her wrist. "HEY!" she shouted in protest, trying to yank her arm free.

"You have blood on your shirt," he said, softly.

She glanced down at her shirt and saw that there was in fact blood splatter on her shirt collar. "What else am I supposed to wear?" she asked, groaning. "It's not like I planned for any of this to happen...all I have is the uniform I wore two days ago."

Despite Kaiba's outward stoic expression, he felt quite conflicted internally. The obvious solution would be to loan her one of his white shirts, but Kaiba wasn't used to sharing his things - especially with people he's only known for a week. A quick glance at the clock indicated that he wouldn't have much time to contemplate this, so he begrudgingly agreed to help. "Wait here," he said before running up the stairs. He could've just as easily had one of the maids go up and grab the shirt, but he didn't want to encourage any gossip amongst his staff.

When Kaiba returned, he had a white long sleeve shirt draped over his arm. "We don't have much time," he commented, tossing the shirt at her. "So make it quick."

"T-thanks," she said, rushing past him into the bathroom. _I mean I know this was the only_ logical _solution, but I'm still really surprised that he did it_ , Dani thought. Her anxiety seemed to subside a bit as she glanced at her reflection. She didn't even care that the shirt was two sizes too big - because this was clearly a sign that she was making progress with Kaiba and defrosting his icy heart.

* * *

After an unusually sleepless night, Yugi remained lying in bed, even as his alarm clock rang incessantly next to his head. Knowing that he couldn't delay forever, Yugi forced himself out of bed and did his best to not let his concern for Dani consume him. _Something is definitely wrong. It's way too coincidental that she just disappeared the day after warning me about her brother's plans. Hopefully she'll be back at school today._

Once he was ready for school, he went down into the game shop and was surprised to find it empty with the front door wide open. "Good morning...Gramps?" he called out.

Mr. Muto, who had been furiously sweeping in front of the shop, spun around and acknowledged his grandson. "There's nothing good about this morning!"

"What's wrong?" Yugi asked.

"See for yourself," he replied, hysterically pointing to a tall building just past the trees. "That fancy new Black Clown game shop is having it's grand opening today. This is the day I've been dreading for weeks!"

"There's a new game shop?" Yugi asked, perking up a little. "Maybe I should go check it out. See what our competition-."

"Don't even think about it!" Mr. Muto shouted.

Yugi held his hands up in defense and laughed awkwardly. "Alright, alright, Gramps. I won't go."

Tea, who had been waiting for Yugi outside, glanced at her watch and groaned. "C'mon, Yugi," she said impatiently, tugging on his backpack. "If we don't leave soon we're gonna be late."

Aside from his general interest in games, Yugi felt a deeper curiosity to visit the new shop. It so greatly affected his subconscious that he led Tea down a different path to school...a path that coincidentally passed by the shop.

"Whoa, it's not even 8 am and they already have a crowd?" Yugi exclaimed. "It probably wouldn't hurt to just check out the lobby…"

Tea tried to stop him, but Yugi managed to slip between the crowd and get a little closer. Just as she was about to catch up to him, she saw one of the store's employees hand him a flyer for a game called Dungeon Dice Monsters. "Check this out, Tea! It's some new game that looks kinda similar to Duel Monsters!"

"You won't be able to play _any_ games if we get stuck in detention. Let's go!" she said, dragging him out of the crowd.

* * *

Duke reclined in the massive leather chair behind his desk and absent-mindedly tossed some dice up and down. The gesture seemed far more entertaining than listening to the spineless moron that his father had hired to be his sales manager. _I wonder if I could knock out some of his teeth with these dice_ , he thought, desperate to make the man shut up.

It seemed reasonable to have a manager. Mr. Devlin could hardly be the face of the company, given his drastic aging and disfiguration. For all intents and purposes, Duke was considered the owner of the shop, but he could hardly oversee everything during the week. He was still just a high school student. As such, someone needed to be in charge of the shop during school hours.

"Duke, come quick!" the manager said, gesturing him over to the window. "Look down there at that kid with the weird hair. Isn't that Yugi Muto?"

Duke approached the window and easily picked Yugi out in the crowd. "That's him alright," he said bitterly.

"Should I send someone down to...invite him into one of the arenas?"

"Why?" Duke asked, giving him a skeptical look.

"Your father explained everything to me once I was hired. He said you wanted to challenge Yugi to a duel so that you could prove that he's a little cheat. I mean, _honestly_ , how could some little twerp like that defeat the man who created Duel Monsters?"

"Oh, right," Duke said, laughing lowly to himself. _Interesting that Dad left out some of the finer details of our revenge scheme._ "No, I have a different plan for Yugi. He goes to my school, so I'm sure I'll see him later today." Before leaving the office, Duke stole one last glance at Yugi and glared at him through the glass. _I'll make you pay for humiliating my idol and destroying my family._

* * *

Most of the limo ride was silent. Kaiba occasionally drank from his precious thermos while reading the newspaper, while Dani kept herself busy with some game on her phone. Eventually, she felt very immature compared to her fellow passenger. She cleared her throat and attempted to make conversation. "What're you reading?"

His eyes darted up at her over the edge of the paper before returning to the article. "The newspaper."

"I can see that," she said as calmly as possible. "I meant which section you're reading...what article."

"Business section," he said curtly.

She scoffed. "You're incredible, you know that? And I don't mean it in a good way."

"Am I supposed to care?"

Before she could fire back at him, the limo swerved suddenly, causing Dani to go flying across the seat and crash into Kaiba, who was now squished against the door. If she hadn't still been susceptible to pain, Dani would've found the entire situation hilarious, but the sudden motion caused her head to throb violently. Kaiba used his shoulder to shove her off of him, but didn't effectively push her back to her side of the seat.

"Roland!" he barked. "What the hell was that about?"

The tinted window separating the driver and passengers rolled down to reveal a very concerned Roland. "I-I'm sorry, Mr. Kaiba. This large crowd surrounding the new game shop is making it difficult to drive the normal route."

"So take a different route!"

At the mention of the game shop, Dani leaned over Kaiba and reached for the window controls. She rolled the tinted window down halfway so she could get a better glimpse. "Wow," she murmured. The line just to _enter_ the shop wrapped around the building...twice.

"Have you ever heard of a thing called personal space?" Kaiba asked, pushing her back to her side of the seat.

"It's not my fault you had the better view," she retorted. "I just can't believe that he's already got this good of a turnout."

Kaiba glanced out the window as the limo turned around. "What's so surprising?" he asked, smirking. "It's full of state-of-the-art technology."

"It _is_ pretty incredible that you designed all that technology...I'm still kind of shaken from the reality of our game the other day," she said, almost feeling odd to compliment him.

Kaiba found the compliment to be out of place as well, which caused a delay in his response. Instead of spouting off some sarcastic comment or conceded reply, Kaiba accepted the compliment and actually shared some details about the process he went through to create the newest duel disk.

They had become so engrossed in a genuine conversation - probably the first they've had since meeting - that neither one even noticed that they'd arrived at school. Roland glanced up and looked through the rearview mirror and smiled. It had been so long since he'd seen Kaiba look like this...it was actually difficult for him to break it up. He cleared his throat. "We've arrived at Domino High, Mr. Kaiba."

Although they were reluctant to get out of the car, their conversation continued until they reached the front steps. "So...is this going to play out like last time where you ignore me all day?" she asked, unable to bring her gaze up to his.

He scoffed. "And leave you unattended with that injury? I don't think so. You're like a walking liability to me right now."

She rolled her eyes. "Wow, my hero!"

When they entered the main hallway, Kaiba was about to step away so that he could go to his locker, but paused when he saw Duke watching them from further down the hall. He would never admit it aloud, but Kaiba despised the way Duke has treated Dani. So, instead of getting anything from his locket, Kaiba walked Dani to her locker and even offered to hold her bag while she pulled out whichever books she'd need, knowing full well that it would upset Duke.

"Okay, now you're just being too nice," she teased. "Is there no in between for you?"

Kaiba was about to respond, but he was cut off by a blaring announcement on the intercom. "Will Miss Danielle Devlin report to the principal's office...immediately!"

"Great," Dani said, groaning.

"You'll be fine," Kaiba reassured. "Just keep your story vague, apologize for missing class, and you'll be off the hook."

"You sound like you're speaking from experience."

"Yeah, right," he laughed. "I just know how to deal with situations such as this. See you in geometry."

The thought of reaching out for his hand and asking him to go with her was tempting, but simply out of the question. She couldn't expect him to solve all her problems for her. As she walked down the hall, Dani anticipated some snickers from passing students or at least hushed whispers - but it was as though she were invisible as she made her walk of shame to the principal's office. Everyone was too busy getting hyped up about going to Duke's shop after school to care about Dani's predicament.

Adult faculty members, who could care less about a game shop opening, gave her more than enough attention the moment she entered the office. "Oh my goodness!" the secretary exclaimed. "What happened to you?"

"It's...a long story," Dani said, hoping that she wouldn't pry for details. _And here I thought that I did such a great job hiding these bandages…_

"Well, I hope you're feeling okay. The principal will see you now," she said, smiling sympathetically as she led Dani to the next office over.

Once the door was closed, the principal stood up and approached Dani with her file in hand. "Seems like you're off to quite a rough school year, Miss Devlin," he commented, looking over her file. "Moved here from California just recently, had a few late assignments in your classes, and missed a whole day of school without notification."

"It's been a big transition to say the least," she replied, not caring for his accusatory tone. _What the hell did he expect me to do? I was unconscious for half the day yesterday._

"I can imagine," he said, nodding. "I can see why you missed school yesterday, but I'm afraid I'll have to ask what actually happened. How did you get injured?"

"It happened at home, two nights ago. A careless mistake, really. My dad and I just got into an argument and I wanted to get some fresh air, but ended up slipping on the uh...freshly polished hardwood floor and hit my head."

"Is that so?" he asked doubtfully. "Then why is it your twin brother, Duke, spent most of the day in the office concerned and wondering where his sister was? If this incident happened at home, wouldn't he have known about it?"

"I don't live with my father and brother," she said, racking her mind to think of an excuse. "They weren't really planning on me coming back, so I got one of the suites on the second floor of my brother's new game shop, the Black Clown. That's where the incident occured."

"I see," he said, clearly not buying it. "Well I still fail to see why you or your father weren't able to contact the school to excuse your absence. You'll have to stay after school until your father can come pick you up and verify your story."

"WHAT?!" she cried, leaping up from her chair. "No...you don't understand. He's a busy guy. He's not going to come all the way out here to pick me up. He doesn't even take us to school. My brother always drives."

"I'm afraid I cannot let you leave with a parent or legal guardian to sign you out. For now, you are to report to the detention room until your father comes. If you leave without my permission, you will be suspended for a week. Is that clear, Miss Devlin?"

"Crystal," she spat, quickly leaving the office so that he wouldn't see the angry tears falling down her cheeks.

* * *

Thankfully, the halls were now mostly abandoned since the students had all gone to homeroom - which meant no one would see her about to breakdown. _I should've kept my story vague like Kaiba suggested,_ she thought with regret. _Now they're going to involve my lunatic father who is going to prove that everything I said was a lie. I'll probably be forced to move in with him and Duke now…_

Through her blurred vision, she saw Duke standing at the edge of the hall. She felt conflicted as she walked closer and closer to him. She couldn't get entirely mad at him because he _did_ try to contact her - she just ignored all his attempts. But to get the school involved? That hardly seemed necessary. What did he even expect the school to do? They were just as clueless as he was.

Once he saw her, he politely excused himself from the group of girls he'd been speaking to and marched down the hall toward her with an angry yet concerned expression. Her first period classroom was in sight...all she had to do was get to that door before he did. Despite the protesting pain in the base of her skull, she picked up the pace and reached for the door. As per usual, Duke beat her to it by a couple seconds and pulled her fingers off the doorknob.

"Where have you been?" he demanded, feeling like this was the hundredth time he'd asked her that question since she moved back.

"Out," she said pointedly. "Move. I'm going to be late for class."

"Oh I get it," he said, stepping forward so that her path to the door was completely blocked. "You're mad at me for going to the principal about your absence. What the hell was I supposed to do, Dani? I was freaking out!"

"I don't know what you want me to say, Duke. My phone died. That's all there is to it. I'm sorry that I caused you to panic."

"'That's all there is to it?'" he asked incredulously. "Then how do you explain all those bandages on your forehead?"

Dani's already fraying nerves felt like they were about to unravel completely if he asked one more question. _I guess the only way to get him to back off is to tell him the truth...or at least part of the truth_ , she thought. "If you really must know, then fine I'll tell you. Kaiba invited me to his lab to test out some new duel disk technology. It was pretty incredible actually...to see the monsters and cards come to life outside of an arena. But the tech was almost too real, and one of the direct attacks actually hit me and sent me flying into the wall. I passed out and remained unconscious until some time yesterday afternoon. Satisfied?"

"I should've known that bastard Kaiba would be involved," he snarled.

"It wasn't his fault," she lied. "But I guess he still must've felt bad because he paid for all my medical treatment."

"Yeah, well, once I'm done with all the opening ceremonies for the shop, he'll be paying for his own treatment."

* * *

Unlike Duke's accusatory approach to finding out about her injury, Joey, Tristan, and Yugi were instantly concerned and yet relieved when they saw her at lunch. "What happened to you the other night, Dani?" Yugi asked, his large eyes even wider with concern.

"It's a long story...but basically Kaiba invited me to try out some new duel disk and I guess I wasn't really prepared for how _real_ the attacks were. Ended up getting knocked out by a direct attack...but it was totally worth it. That disk is going to change the way the game is played."

Despite her attempts to look reassuring, Dani felt conflicted. First, she had lied to Duke and said it wasn't Kaiba's fault, even though it was, and now she acting like her injury was some cool battle scar, even though it was actually a very painful experience. _Why am I going through such an effort to protect Kaiba? Maybe I should stop telling the truth out of spite._

"New Duel Disk, eh?" Joey asked, pretending to not be interested. "Hope it's better than the last one he was testin'."

"You mean the one that freaked you out so badly that you couldn't focus and ended up losing almost instantly?" Tristan teased.

Joey crossed his arms over his chest defensively. "I have no idea what you're talkin' 'bout."

They all shared in a lengthy laughter, which felt good...like natural medicine for Dani. She didn't feel tense like she usually did with Kaiba - although it wasn't a bad tension, per say, it was more like she was starting to feel anxious around him. She used to not care if she said or did something embarrassing in front of him, but now, ever since the accident, she seemed to care what he thought of her. It was different with Yugi and his friends because she didn't really have much to lose with them and they were already very accepting of her.

Tea joined the table later than the rest of the gang because her math class got out late. She slammed her tray on the table and vented about how much she hated that teacher, which Dani sympathized with since it was the same teacher that doubled her homework load when she had an incomplete assignment. Tea was about to continue her rant, but paused once she realized Dani was at the table. "You're back!" she exclaimed. "We were all so worried."

Dani had to briefly recap why she was injured. Instead of reacting to the cool new technology part of the story like the guys did, Tea was far more interested to piece together that Dani and Kaiba probably came to school together again. "I've never seen Kaiba _willingly_ spend time with anyone from school," Tea commented.

"Oh, please," Dani laughed. "Don't tell me you're implying that he actually _likes_ me."

"He just might," Yugi said, joining the conversation. "It's true, Dani. He usually avoids any interaction with us as much as he can."

"Even though we did save his life," Joey grumbled. "Once or twice."

"Wait, really? Was this at Duelist Kingdom?" Dani asked, finding this story to be far more interesting than the cold cafeteria food on her tray.

Just as they were describing Yugi's duel with Kaiba atop one of the towers on Pegasus' castle, Duke interrupted. He stood behind Dani with his hands resting a little too tightly on her shoulders. "There's my lovely sister!" he announced, voice dripping with sickly sweet sarcasm.

She tried shrugging out of his grip, but he wouldn't let go. "Here I am," she said, gritting her teeth. A quick glance over her shoulder showed that he wasn't alone. A massive crowd of students had followed him into the cafeteria, desperate for one of the tickets he'd been handing out that would allow the lucky ticket holder to skip the line and go right into the shop after school.

"I know you're probably still not feeling well because of what happened, but if you're up for it, why don't you bring your new friends to the shop after school?" he said, pushing down hard on her shoulders before letting go and ripping five tickets from his ticket roll.

"Nyeh what's wit the crowd? And what shop are ya talkin' about?"Joey asked, eyeing the crowd with envy. As one of the top duelists in Pegasus' tournament, he would've expected to receive that sort of recognition by now, but there was no such luck.

Duke laughed condescendingly. "Why, my new game shop, of course. Surely, you've heard of the Black Clown? It's only the biggest game shop in town. It's got state of the art arenas, arcades, and merchandise."

 _Does he really think I'd fall for such an obvious trick?_ Dani thought, amused. She pretended to consider the offer and ignored Joey and Tristan's begging in the background. "Thanks, but no thanks, bro. Besides, I'm sure I can get my 'new friends' in whenever I want, since I'm a Devlin, too."

If they'd been alone, Duke would've gone on some rant about her distancing herself from the family. He subtly glared down at her before laughing obnoxiously. "Don't you think they can decide for themselves?" he asked. Although he spoke of the group, his attention shifted to Yugi in particular. "I'd especially like to see the...Duel Monsters champion in action at one of my arenas."

"Yugi may be a skilled duelist, but he's no champion," Kaiba said intrusively, approaching the table. "The only person who deserves that title is me." Dani wasn't sure if she wanted to smile in appreciation or roll her eyes at his arrogance.

"Watch it, rich boy," Joey warned, fingers wrapping into fists. "You can't blow off a whole tournament just cuz you ain't one of the top three."

"Considering _you_ ended up in the top three, something must've gone horribly wrong," Kaiba sneered.

Yugi, growing saddened by Kaiba and Joey's constant bickering, asked, "Did you only come here to pointlessly antagonize Joey?"

Kaiba was about to say that it clearly wasn't pointless, since Joey was reacting accordingly, but Dani cut him off. "Of course not!" she blurted. "He came here to have lunch...with us." Any other time, the murderous glare he was giving her would've been enough to discourage her - but this time she had some leverage. She gestured to her forehead and winced in pain. Until she recovered, she had the upper hand over him, and she had every intention of using that to her advantage.

It took him a moment to formulate a response. If he were to do as she said, it would raise a red flag with Yugi and his loser friends; but if he were to walk away, she'd probably make a scene, which could risk his company and the success of his new duel disk. Finding Yugi to be the lesser of two evils, he took the empty seat between Dani and Yugi and vowed to seek his vengeance on Dani at a later time.

Duke had been watching the whole scene with growing disdain. _Kaiba is going to ruin everything!_ He thought angrily. _First, he's turning my own sister against me, and now he's distracting Yugi. If I don't get Yugi to come to the shop tonight...the plan won't work._ A shrill echo of his father's threat resounded in his mind and reminded him that failure cannot be an option.

Fortunately, there was an empty seat to Dani's left, which positioned Duke across from Yugi to a certain degree at the round table. "So, people say you're the King of Games?" Duke said, resuming his conversation. "I don't know if you can be considered that until you've played _my_ new game."

"Wait a minute, you're sayin' dat not only do you own a whole shop but you also invented a whole game? What's it called?" Joey asked excitedly, with food in his mouth.

"You are _so_ going to pay for subjecting me to this," Kaiba muttered. Dani merely laughed in response. Whatever he ended up dishing back in retribution would be worth this moment. Not only was it entertaining, but it was also helpful, since he clearly wanted to thwart Duke's attempts.

"You probably haven't heard of it, since it was just released today," he said smugly. "It's called Dungeon Dice Monsters."

"Isn't that the game that was on your flyer?" Tea asked.

Duke smirked. "So you've been to my shop already?"

Tea blushed and quickly diverted the attention back to Yugi. "Yugi wanted to check it out on our way to school. It was impossible to even get through the door."

"Thanks for the invite, guys," Joey grumbled. "Real pals!"

"So why don't you tell us about this game of yours?" Kaiba asked with faux interest. "When I designed your arena for it, it didn't seem much different than Duel Monsters."

"Just because the game involves summoning some familiar monsters doesn't mean it's anything like Duel Monsters," Duke protested.

"Tell us more about it, Duke," Yugi suggested, genuinely interested in the new game. His kind voice sounded out of place amongst the animosity.

"I don't want to go into too much detail, but I suppose I can give you a brief synopsis. Dice are used instead of cards to summon monsters and use their effects. You always need to think a couple steps ahead if you want to successfully create a dungeon path that leads to your opponent's heart points. That's the only way to win the game."

Joey seemed intrigued, yet confused. "That ain't so hard. Ya just roll dice and summon a monsta?"

"It's a little more complicated than that," Duke said, laughing coldly. "Maybe you should stick to what you're semi-good at."

"Hey, watch it, dice boy!" Joey shouted.

Once again Yugi had to play the role of peacemaker. "So you can only play Dungeon Dice Monsters at your shop?"

"There is a board game version, but if you want the full effect of the game, you'll have to come see the Black Clown," he said slyly, twirling the string of tickets between his fingers.

Kaiba, who felt he'd spent an adequate amount of time at the table, stood up abruptly and glanced at Yugi. "Don't be a fool, Yugi. It's obvious that Duke only wants you to come to his shop as a publicity stunt due to your...title."

Considering Dani's warning the other night, Yugi already knew that Duke wasn't truly offering some innocent invitation to check out his shop. He wouldn't fall for Duke's trap. But what struck him as odd was Kaiba seeming so keen on preventing him from going. _Maybe Dani's closer to him than I thought. She might've filled him in on the situation, too._

Before Yugi could answer for himself, Duke shot back a scathing response. "Who wouldn't want such a talented player to show up at their shop?" he sneered. "If I wanted to do a cheap publicity stunt, I would've invited Kaiba Corp to sponsor Opening Day."

Joey, who had been standing up to go get a refill, snickered. "Want some ice for dat burn, Kaiba?" he offered, shaking his cup of ice.

Kaiba took the cup, dumped the watery ice on Joey's head, and walked away in seething silence.

* * *

Admittedly, Kaiba did make a few effective defensive moves during lunch, but Dani was beginning to regret essentially forcing him to have lunch with the rest of them. She knew that he hated that sort of social interaction, and now he was probably positively livid about the whole thing, thanks to Duke and Joey's remarks. _I don't even know why I care. After everything he's done, it might do him some good to bring him down a notch. But still…I can't risk losing him as an ally today._

Dani bit her lower lip in contemplation. She wasn't sure if she should go after Kaiba and calm him down or if she should stay by Duke's side and make sure that he didn't continue pursuing Yugi in her absence. Ultimately, she decided to stick with Duke. It would probably only make things worse to confront Kaiba when he's still so heated.

Although Duke was pleased with his scathing remark in response to Kaiba's final attempt to block his efforts, Duke didn't feel entirely satisfied. There had to be a reason why Kaiba was getting so involved in something that really shouldn't matter to him - and Duke didn't like what that possible reason could be. Dani obviously had some sort of effect on him, and if she wanted to prevent Duke from getting Yugi to his shop today, then of course she'd enlist Kaiba to help. But that still didn't explain why she wanted to stop him. He never indicated that he was seeking vengeance against the pipsqueak "champion," so how did she know of his plans? _She must've overheard that conversation I had with Dad the other day…but how did she get back inside so quickly and undetected?_

This whole situation was becoming unnecessarily complicated. Duke raked his fingers through his hair as he tried to formulate the best course of action. If he seemed too desperate now, Yugi will see through his facade. Deciding that he'd have plenty of other chances to convince Yugi to come over, Duke stood up abruptly, though appeared completely calm and collected as he tossed the string of tickets on the table. "I think it's about time I tend to my adoring fans. Thanks for letting me have lunch with you guys. My offer still stands - I really hope you'll stop by the shop after school today," he said as charmingly as possible.

Not wanting to lose him in the crowd, Dani also stood up and grabbed onto his backpack before he could get too far. "Actually, bro, I was wondering if I could talk to you for a minute," she said in an equally charming tone with an exaggerated smile. She glanced over her shoulder at Yugi and the gang. "I'll see you guys later!" She tried her best to ignore the cautious, concerned look on Yugi's face as she dragged Duke around the corner and out of the cafeteria.

"I'm not really sure that all those dramatics were necessary," Duke grumbled, straightening out his uniform jacket as though he'd been roughed up.

Dani scoffed. "Something tells me that if I hadn't gotten physical, you wouldn't have followed me."

Duke's face grew serious suddenly as he placed a hand on her shoulders and stared down at her with his piercing emerald eyes. "You're my sister, Dani…my sister who I haven't had in my life for too many years…I wouldn't want to miss any more chances to spend time with you, like we did when we were kids…of course I would've followed you. You're more important than that crowd of students or Yugi and his stupid friends."

Tears welled up in the corners of Dani's eyes as she remained frozen still in his embrace. She _wanted_ to believe that his words were sincere. She wanted to rekindle things with her brother, to go back to how things were before…before their father became obsessed with gaming and lost himself in that game with Yugi's grandfather. But she'd be a fool to believe him. He was telling her exactly what she wanted to hear. Now, she had to tell him what he _didn't_ want to hear.

She squeezed her eyes shut as she pulled away from him, refusing to let him see the tears. "Don't lie to me, Duke. Don't pretend like you care…if you cared you wouldn't be so obsessed with this stupid revenge scheme. Whatever your deal is with Yugi, whatever you hope to accomplish by defeating him in a duel, it won't fix the past. It won't fix our family."

In an instant, his sympathetic, caring expression had vanished into something cold and cruel. "And how is it exactly that you even know about my 'revenge scheme?' I don't recall ever telling you about it," he said, circling her like a vulture.

While Dani refused to let his obvious tactics intimidate her, she could feel her confidence starting to crumble. He knew that she was a terrible liar, so surely he'd see through any silly stress-induced excuse she'd be able to come up with. _I could always stretch the truth…_ "I forgot something at the shop the other night, but I didn't want to come back in and have to interact with you or him again. There was a delivery being unloaded in the stock room, so I slipped inside and grabbed what I needed. On my way out, I picked up bits and pieces of your conversation. I couldn't hear everything, but I think I heard enough."

He laughed mirthlessly. "You think you've heard enough? You don't even understand half of what's happened in your own family. Yet instead of confiding in your own flesh and blood, you run off to Yugi and Kaiba and tell them your problems...tell them about your 'mean brother' and your 'crazy father.'"

"What makes you think I told them anything?" she asked defensively.

"Please," he scoffed. "You should've seen the way Yugi was looking at me the next day in class. He looked suspicious, like he knew I was plotting something. And Kaiba was just as obvious - the way he was blatantly shooting down all my attempts to get to Yugi just now. Don't tell me that you already have a boyfriend after only being here for a week?"

An embarrassing, burning blush spread like wildfire across Dani's face. "What the hell, Duke? Of course he's not my boyfriend! He just wanted to help."

"Kaiba doesn't strike me as the type of person to help out unless there's something in it for him. What did you promise him in return?"

"Nothing!" she shouted. "Maybe he just doesn't like assholes who only care about pointless revenge."

"Whatever you say, sis," he muttered, turning away from her. "Just don't come crying to me when he breaks your heart."

* * *

 **A/N:** Yikes...things are not going so well for Duke and Dani, and it's definitely going to get worse before it gets better for them.

So, when writing this chapter it was originally 20+ pages long, which is wayyy too long, so I'm splitting it up into three parts. The next part should be posted within a week or two since it's already half written lol

In the next chapter: Joey and Dani have a heart to heart. Duke manages to trick Yugi and the others into coming to his shop. Trapped in detention, Dani nearly gives up hope on the whole situation but Kaiba manages to come to the rescue in an unexpected way.

As always, thank you very much for your comments 3 I know that OC fics can be hit or miss, but it means so much to hear you all say that this is a great OC story :)


	12. Evil Twin Brother, Part II

Frozen by Your Side

By: Darkest Ember

Chapter 12: Evil Twin Brother, Part II

* * *

 **Summary:** Dani Devlin is Duke Devlin's estranged twin sister. When they were younger, their father had asked a local game shop owner, Solomon Muto, to teach him to be a game master. They end up playing a dangerous game that ages their father 50 years in one night. From that moment on, he becomes obsessed with vengeance and plans to use Duke as a means to that revenge. Unable to save them both, their mother escapes with Dani and moves to America. A few years later, Dani starts to see the negative changes in her brother and decides to move back to Domino during her junior year of high school to save him. There, she meets Yugi and the gang, who all share her love for Duel Monsters. She hopes that they can also help Duke return to his old self. And then there's Seto Kaiba. Dani doesn't exactly get off on the right foot with him, but perhaps he is the one who can change _her_ for the better.

Takes place between the Duelist Kingdom and Dungeon Dice Monster arcs. Inspired by the manga storyline that shows "Mr. Clown" (Duke's dad) as the reason why Duke challenges Yugi.

Some chapters will start with a foreshadowing segment of Dani and Kaiba's online chat...neither of them know the true identity of who they're talking to, but end up becoming friends online (picture something like A Cinderella Story with Hillary Duff and Chad Michael Murray).

 **Pairing:** Kaiba x OC

* * *

The end-of-lunch warning bell rang faintly in the distance. Fifth period was about to begin, and most of the students scurried to get to class on time; Dani, however, moved sluggishly down the hall. _I thought I could get through to him this time,_ she thought sadly. _But instead he manages to take total control of the conversation and shift the focus onto me._

She could hardly be expected to focus on studying the periodic table in Chemistry class when she had so many other things to worry about. The negative thoughts continued swirling around in her head and blocked out whatever the professor had been trying to say. _What if Duke gets to Yugi while I'm stuck here in class? Is saving Duke even possible anymore? Why does everyone think there's more to my acquaintance with Kaiba?_

Apparently, Joey had been trying to get her attention for several minutes, but Dani was too zoned out to notice. It wasn't until he waved his hand directly in front of her face that she snapped to attention. "Earth ta Dani. Are ya in there?" he asked.

She blinked a few times and forced a laugh. "Sorry, I spaced out. What are we supposed to be doing?" she asked, glancing down at the worksheet that had been handed out.

Joey shrugged. "I think we're supposed ta split up the periodic table and write down each element and something dat contains said element."

"Sounds thrilling," she muttered, grabbing a pen out of her bag. "So I'll take the even numbers and you take the odds?"

"Ehh sure, but I gotta ask…did somethin' happen when ya went to talk to Duke? Ya just seem…sad since ya came back from lunch."

Dani felt that she had extended beyond her ability to continue pretending everything was okay. With a sigh, she pushed her homework aside and faced Joey. By the time she finished selectively explaining her situation with Duke, Joey slammed his fist on the table. "How could ya let ya brother treat ya like dat, Dani? I swear da next time I see that dicey douchebag, I'll give him a piece of my mind!"

"Whoa, calm down, Joey," Dani said, laughing. "Honestly, you don't have to do anything for me. I mean...he wasn't always such a 'dicey douchebag.'"

* * *

With his bag slung over his shoulder, Joey walked down the half empty halls at a leisurely pace - but once he heard an annoyingly familiar voice followed by girls cheering in response, he sprinted down the hall until he found the source. "Keep your eyes on me, ladies," Duke said, smirking as he successfully performed another magic trick involving dice. _There ain't even anything dat interesting about dice_ , Joey thought, feeling his rage grow by the second. _And why does a creep like him deserve all da attention and girls when he ain't even nice to his own sista? I gotta do somethin._

Before Duke was able to begin his next trick, Joey burst into the room, causing everyone to turn around and stare at him. Joey's resolve wavered after seeing how angry they looked, but then his eyes wandered over to the smug look that remained on Duke's face, which gave him all the encouragement he needed. "How do ya do it, Duke?" Joey asked, stepping further into the room. "How do ya trick all these girls into thinkin' a few parlor tricks are cool?"

"It's more than just 'parlor tricks,'" he replied, calmly tossing some dice around in his hand. "It might be too much for... _simple-minded_ people to understand."

Joey nodded his head in agreement at first, but then realized what Duke was implying. "Hey! What are you tryin' to say, dice boy?" he asked, offended.

"What's going on here?" Yugi's meek voice asked from the doorway. Both Duke and Joey were silently ecstatic to see him, for their own reasons.

"Eh don't worry about it, Yug," Joey said dismissively. "I'm just tryin' to show everyone that ol' dice boy over here ain't that cool."

"Have a seat, Joey," Duke said with a thoughtful expression. "If you can see through this next trick, then I'll just keep my dice to myself from now on."

Joey failed to see any harm in the offer, so he sat across from Duke and eagerly anticipated Duke's embarrassment. Yugi, on the other hand, was feeling less enthusiastic. "Be careful, Joey," he said softly.

"Don't be so skeptical, Yugi," Duke jeered. "What harm could possibly come from an innocent magic trick?" He turned his attention back to Joey as he placed a single cup and die on the desk. "I bet that using nothing more than the power of my mind, I'll be able to move that die into my hand without touching the cup."

Joey snickered. "So you're overrated AND dumb. That ain't possible unless ya had some sorta telekinesis power."

Duke shrugged. "Maybe I've already moved the die without you even noticing. Why don't you pick up the cup and see for yourself?"

Without giving it a second thought, Joey lunged for the cup and revealed the die still sitting there. "Ha, I knew ya were a fraud."

Duke picked up the dice and held it in the palm of his hand for everyone to see. "What're you talking about? I did exactly as I said I would."

It took Joey a moment to realize what had just happened, but once everything came together in his mind, he was furious. "So what - ya pulled a fast one on me. Why don't ya give me a _real_ challenge? Betta yet, I challenge _you_ to a game of Duel Monstas!"

Duke stood up with a bit of bored expression as he flicked some stray hairs out of his face. "How could I refuse a challenge from the third-rate duelist, Joey Wheeler?" he asked sarcastically.

"I think ya mean 'third-place duelist.'"

"Oh, right. My mistake," Duke replied. "Why don't we make a real spectacle out of this with a little bet? If you lose...you have to do whatever I say for a week!"

Joey was beyond ready to wipe the floor with this show-off, but the added element of a wager made the whole situation even sweeter. He could easily use this opportunity to save Yugi's grandpa's shop from going out of business _and_ make things better for Dani. "Alright, dice boy. If you lose, ya gotta shut down your shop and publicly apologize to Dani for treating her like crap earlier."

Admittedly, the detailed request had thrown Duke off. _Why would Joey care about things between me and Dani? Did she put him up to this? No...that wouldn't make sense, since she's been trying to sabotage me all day. Joey just got involved in something that doesn't concern him. And thanks to his foolish arrogance, I'll get Yugi to come to the game shop to "support his friend." Once this duel is over...I'll have Yugi right where I want him._

"Interesting request," he said cooly. "Too bad my dear sis will be stuck in detention and won't be able to watch you valiantly defend her honor."

* * *

As seventh period came to a close, Kaiba was tempted to let out a premature sigh of relief, but he knew better than that. In his experience, it was never wise to jump to conclusions or assume that was something was finished without concrete evidence. The moment he passed by the crowded classroom and heard Joey's voice, he knew that the outcome would be anything but positive.

It was difficult to make out what was being said, due to the swarm of obnoxious girls surrounding them, but Kaiba was able to pick up just enough to deduce that they were all going to Duke's game shop so that Duke could duel Joey. _If he was so hellbent on challenging Yugi today, then why is he wasting his time with Wheeler?_ Kaiba wondered. But then the answer became clear - it was meant to be a trap...a subtle way to convince Yugi to go the shop. He had to give some degree of credit to Duke for being so sly, but then again it wasn't that hard to trick someone like Joey into a situation like this.

Despite agreeing to help Dani prevent this very thing from happening, Kaiba wasn't invested enough to try and stop it on his own. He glanced at his watch and saw that seventh period was almost over. He made his way over to Dani's locker to wait for her. Kaiba grew restless as the minutes passed and the crowd of students began to thin out. _I have more important things to do than worry about someone else's drama_ , he thought with increasing annoyance. If it had been anyone else, he would've walked away a long time ago - but something was keeping him in that hallway. He knew that this situation meant a lot to Dani and that she wouldn't willingly put it off, which meant that something else must be wrong.

He pulled out his cell phone, intending to call her, but realized that he didn't have her number. The only other way that he could contact her would be...their emails. As he logged into the forum, it felt strange to see their previous conversations now that he had a face to associate with the username. Admittedly, the reveal wasn't too terrible. If he had to choose any girl from this sad excuse of a school, he'd probably choose Dani anyway.

BEWDragon: Where the hell are you? Duke used Wheeler to convince Yugi to go to his shop. We need to leave now.

The minutes that passed before she sent a response felt impossibly long. He considered going to the office to see if he could find out what happened in her meeting with the principal earlier, but that would be highly inappropriate and suspicious. The fact that he was investing so much time and energy into helping her was already too much.

Vampire_Lady26: In detention. The principal said I can't leave without a parent or legal guardian's consent….which is impossible. Wait what do you mean? How did that even happen?

 _Shit. I'm going to have to get involved anyway_ , he thought. He probably should've responded to her message, but he wasn't entirely sure how he was going to get her out of this mess, so he decided it best to just get that over with and save the explanations for later.

* * *

What began as a dull pain in the base of her skull at the beginning of the day had transformed into a throbbing pain that had made its way down into her jaw by the end of the day. The pain was becoming just shy of unbearable, but that ended up being a good thing. With her bandages coming undone and a seemingly permanent wince on her face, Dani was sent straight to the nurse's office during her last class of the day.

Of course, redressing someone's wound and giving them a couple painkillers wouldn't take an entire period, so that left Dani with plenty of extra time to make a plan. She knew she needed to meet up with Kaiba, but she couldn't exactly wait at his locker like a sitting duck. If the principal were to see her, she'd be sent straight to detention. Her best course of action would be to sneak outside and find a good place to hide near the stairs and keep an eye out for Kaiba...or Yugi...or Duke.

Glancing at her watch, she saw that school was still in session for another fifteen minutes. Chances are she wouldn't be able to just waltz out the door, so it would be best to wait for classes to get out so she could blend with the crowd and slip out undetected. Fortunately, the library was near one of the school's exits, making it the perfect place to wait. As soon as she heard the bell ring, she marched straight toward the glass doors, which looked very much like a beacon of hopeful light at the end of this dark, miserable tunnel she seemed to be stuck in today.

Just as her fingers wrapped around the cool metallic handles, someone tugged on her backpack strap. "And just where do you think you're going, Miss Devlin?" the principal asked. "If I recall, you were told to wait in the detention room."

"Yeah...that's what I was _told_ , but I...saw my dad's car out there, so I figured it was fine to leave," she said, stumbling her way through an excuse.

"Your father should've been informed that he needs to come inside and sign you out," the principal replied firmly. "You'll have to wait in the detention room until he signs you out."

Dani, angered that she was so close to getting away, had to practically be dragged to detention. _What's going to happen now?_ She wondered, slumped in one of the desks. _For all I know Duke already got to Yugi and they're on their way to his shop now...and who knows what Kaiba's going to do. It's not like I can just call him and tell him where I'm at. He'll probably get fed up after a couple minutes of waiting and just leave…I probably should've mentioned this little detail to him earlier..._

Just before her heart could fully sink into despair, her phone vibrated on the desk. The supervising teacher, who had been busy rigorously grading papers, didn't even look up at the sudden sound. Dani snatched her phone up and was surprised to see a new email from BEWDragon. _He does care!_

The initial excitement she felt upon receiving a message from Kaiba quickly wore off after reading the contents of the message. She quickly typed a response and anticipated his. But when her response went unanswered, paranoid thoughts of abandonment played through her mind. _What if he didn't see my message in time and just left anyway? What if he went to go confront Duke on his own? What if I'm stuck in this damn room the rest of the night because no one is coming to sign me out?_ _What if-._

"There she is - my little Danielle!" Roland shouted as he abruptly entered the room. "You had me so worried."

Dani felt an odd combination of relief and humor, which made it difficult to speak because all she wanted to do was laugh. "Uh...hey _Dad_. Sorry for making you worry...but I'm so glad to see you!" She quickly gathered her things and ran over to the door. "Okay, my Dad's here, can I leave?" she asked the disinterested teacher.

"Make sure you have him sign you out in the office," he said in a monotonous voice before resuming his work.

"Yes, of course," Roland replied.

After getting cleared at the office, Roland and Dani walked toward the school exit in silence. She was pretty sure that if either one of them spoke, it would blow their cover. When they exited the school, Kaiba was waiting for them on the steps with his arms crossed over his chest. "Well?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"That was...hilarious!" Dani said, finally able to laugh. "You were very convincing, Roland."

"Why thank you, Miss Devlin," he said, smiling. "I suppose it's fortunate that the school staff have never seen me driving Mr. Kaiba's limo."

"What do you expect when the school is run by idiots?" Kaiba muttered. Outwardly, he looked disinterested, but internally, he was relieved. Of course he was glad that she was able to get out - but a small, miniscule part of him was _especially_ glad that he had been involved in her rescue. "Look, are we going to keep standing around here or are we actually going to do something? By now, they're probably already at the game shop."

Mentioning the game shop was evidently all it took to bring Dani down from whatever high she'd experienced from her escape. She wasn't really sure what to say...her own thoughts about how she failed her brother were taunting her and discouraging her from even trying anymore. "Maybe we should just forget it," she said softly.

Kaiba scoffed. "I don't think so. I didn't just waste this entire day trying to help you get to your brother only to hear you say that you're giving up. Don't be so pathetic."

Dani glanced up at him with glassy eyes. "There's nothing pathetic about it," she spat. "I'm just stating the facts. What do you think going to the game shop is going to accomplish? If Duke gets Yugi in that dueling arena, then it's _over_. I won't be able to do much from the sidelines."

"Didn't you read my message? Duke will be dueling Wheeler first. Granted, I don't see that duel lasting more than five minutes, but that's still five extra minutes that we have to make a difference. Now, get in that limo so we can get this over with," he said, pointing to his limo.

She laughed bitterly. "You're expecting me to put all my hope into a potential five-minute window? People don't change in five minutes. I don't think I can do this, Kaiba. I'm sorry."

She turned to leave, but Kaiba grabbed her wrist. "I'm not letting you walk away from this. I can't for the life of me understand why you think that prick is worth saving, but at the end of the day, he is your brother. Even if he ends up dueling Yugi, I highly doubt Yugi will lose. Yugi defeating Duke in a duel won't save him. You're the only one who can bring him back to his senses."

"Wow...that was oddly inspirational," she said, using the back of her hand to wipe away some stray tears. "Thank you, Kaiba."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever."

* * *

The semi-impressive size of the crowd that had been standing outside the shop earlier this morning seemed to have doubled by the time the limo pulled up to the shop. When it became obvious that Roland couldn't get any closer, he parked on an adjacent street so that Dani and Kaiba could get out.

"You'd think these people never saw a store before," Dani muttered, wondering how they were going to make their way through such a large crowd.

"You and I both know it's more than a store," Kaiba responded. "But it does look like there's something being shown on those TV screens - that's probably bringing in the crowds."

"Wow, rich and smart - how is it you're still single?" she teased.

Kaiba's eyes widened in embarrassment for a moment, but he was quick to shake it off. "Keep making comments like that and I'll go ahead without you."

Dani laughed. "Was that supposed to be a threat? I mean...by all means, go ahead - but I'll always be able to find you because you're so damn tall." The silence that followed indicated that Kaiba was either stumped by her response or didn't care enough to respond; either way, Dani found the whole situation to be amusing.

After a few attempts to weave through the crowd, they realized that they would need another tactic. "We should go in through the back door. There shouldn't be any crowd over there," Kaiba suggested.

"Alright," Dani said, nodding approvingly. "But we need to think of a way to get past all these people." As she tried to think of a plan, Dani's forehead became increasingly itchy. "That's it!"

"What's it?" Kaiba asked, confused.

Dani pulled her bandages off and pointed to her now-scabbing wound. "Let's act like I've been injured and you need to get me some medical attention - pronto."

"I don't think so," he said flatly.

"Do you have a better plan?"

"...No."

"It's not the end of the world," she muttered. As he stooped down with his arms extended, Dani smirked, thoroughly enjoying this moment. She hopped into his arms and wrapped hers securely around his neck as he carried her through the crowd and occasionally shouted for people to get out of his way.

Just before reaching the door, he paused to glance up at the large TV screens, which were showing a live broadcast of Duke and Joey's duel.

"Either that scoreboard on the screen is glitching or your brother isn't a very good duelist," Kaiba observed.

Dani was also surprised by the score. Of course she wasn't really familiar with Joey's skills as a duelist, but from what she'd heard so far, mostly from Kaiba, Joey wasn't the greatest. Duke, on the other hand, was essentially bred to be a master game player. "Something's definitely not right with this duel."

Once they reached their destination, Kaiba dropped her without warning. She landed in an unceremonious heap at his feet. "What the hell?" she groaned. "In case you forgot I am still injured!"

"My mistake," he said sarcastically. "I thought that your acting skills had improved and that you were pretending to be injured the whole time."

"You're a dick," she laughed, shoving him playfully.

After picking the lock on the all-too-familiar door, they stepped into the busy stockroom. It only took a few seconds for someone to spot them. "I'm afraid this area is for employees only. Go back and wait in line like everyone else."

Dani laughed flatly. "Do you even know who you're talking to? I'm Dani Devlin...this is my family's shop, so you don't get to tell me what to do."

"If that's the case then why haven't I seen you around here before? I've only ever seen Duke and that freaky clown guy."

"I just moved to town last month, and I'm not the owner like Duke is, so why would you see me?"

"Sorry," he said, leering with arms crossed over his chest. "I'm not buying your lame excuse."

"Enough of this nonsense," Kaiba said, stepping out of the shadows. "Let us through."

The employee's face drained of color as he took a few stumbled steps backward. "S-S-Seto Kaiba? Uh...sorry for the inconvenience, please enjoy yourself," he said, opening the door to the shop.

Dani stood frozen in place with her mouth agape. "You've got to be kidding me," she muttered. _How is it that I can't even get into my own family's game shop, yet he can get us in because he's Seto freaking Kaiba?_ To make matters worse, Dani felt more embarrassed than anything else because Kaiba had to come to her rescue _again_.

As it turned out, getting into the building was only half the battle. The store's interior was just as crowded as the exterior, and all the space seemed to be used except for the arena at the end of the hall. Yet even with those doors closed, people still gathered outside, expecting the doors to open any minute and grant them exclusive access to whatever was hidden inside.

"Looks like we found which arena they're in," Dani observed, recalling that there weren't many people in the arena that was displayed on the TVs outside. She was kind of surprised honestly - Duke was a bit of an attention whore, so she figured he would _want_ crowds of people in there cheering for him…

While she was lost in thought, Kaiba was busy forcing his way through the crowd. It was almost amusing for her to watch as people glared over their shoulder to see who was cutting in line and then either looked terrified or star-struck when they saw who it was. The gap he'd created didn't last very long though, so she scrambled to catch up to him. There were no security guards blocking the door, but it was definitely locked with a code.

"Now what are we supposed to do?" Dani asked in a deflated tone.

Kaiba scoffed. "Have you forgotten who you're dealing with? Cracking this code will be child's play," he said confidently.

 _Is there anything this guy can't do?_ She wondered, watching him work his magic on the keypad. After just a few minutes, the code cleared and a green light flashed before the automatic doors opened. They snuck inside and closed the door before the crowd could rush in after them.

"Did you see the way those kids were trying to claw their way in here?" Dani asked, laughing.

"Talk about desperate," Kaiba agreed, smiling ever so slightly. "It's like they've never seen an arena before."

"This isn't just any arena," Dani said sarcastically. "This is a _Kaiba Corp_ arena. I hear those are hard to find in this city." She thought her heart was going to leap out of her chest when he actually _laughed_ at her joke.

Normally when Kaiba stood this close to Dani, it felt like he was towering over her with intimidation - but as he stood close to her now, all but cornering her against the wall, Dani felt something else entirely. When the silence became a little too overwhelming for her, she racked her brain for a way to keep the momentum going. "Can't imagine how they'll react when...when you unveil your new disk," she said breathily.

The corners of Kaiba's mouth twitched upward in another flash of a smile. "Which reminds me...once all this is over, I'll need you to come straight to the office after school during the week."

She smirked. "Can I ride with you or are you going to make me walk?"

"I'll consider it," he replied.

* * *

The sound of Joey's boisterous voice reminded both of them why they were there in the first place. They ran to the end of the hall and saw that the screen had been correct - Joey (1600 LP) had a very noticeable lead over Duke (550 LP). Joey smugly summoned Goblin Attack Force (2300/0) in attack mode. The appearance of the monsters was still incredibly stunning to Dani; however, seeing the game played in a confined arena like this seemed so archaic after experiencing the duel disk technology. Additionally, she noted that they were clearly not aware of the new rules Kaiba planned on implementing, since Joey was able to summon a higher level monster in one turn. She glanced over at Kaiba with a look of admiration. Pegasus may have invented the game, but Kaiba is clearly the one keeping it alive - literally and figuratively.

Joey easily destroyed Duke's Spikebot (1800/1700), which brought Duke down to a miniscule 50 LP. "Wow I completely underestimated you, Joey," Duke sighed dramatically. "Maybe Duel Monsters just isn't my game…" Despite the defeated tone in his voice, Duke's eyes were alit with fiendish delight.

Eating up the compliment, Joey grinned before waving a dismissive hand. "I tried ta warn ya, Dice Boy...I'm one of da best duelists out there."

As Joey babbled about his skills and bemoaned the effect that caused his goblins to automatically go into defense mode after attacking, Duke wrapped some lose strands of hair around his finger as though he were bored - not exactly the expression you'd expect from someone about to lose. He stared at Joey with an almost taunting expression, as though he knew some big secret that he was just _dying_ to share.

Duke's behavior brought back some unpleasant memories for Dani, who was watching with growing discomfort from the hallway. Despite Dani and Duke both developing an interest in gaming at a young age, Duke was always more competitive and more conniving. One of his favorite things to do was toy with his opponent and let him/her believe that he/she was winning for the majority of the game. Then, at the last possible moment, he'd make some crazy final move that would win the game for him.

Chess was one of the first games they'd ever played together. Dani had been practicing on her own for hours before challenging her brother to a game. She was _so_ determined to win this time - and it seemed like she would. Duke hardly had any defenses left to protect his king. He just stared at the chess board in silent shock. Just before Dani could go in for the kill, he pulled some crazy maneuver that led to his sudden victory. That was one of the hardest defeats to accept, and for the longest time Dani refused to play any game with Duke because she didn't care for his cruel psychological tactics, which he'd probably learned from their father as a means to discourage her from playing.

Unbothered with his own behavior, Duke drew his next card and smirked, effectively discarding his "amateur about to lose" pretense. "You're finished, Joey!" he declared.

Joey made a dramatic gesture, acting as though he couldn't hear Duke from across the arena. "What was dat? I think ya might be hallucinatin or somethin. I got dis game in da bag."

"I think I'll let my cards speak for themselves," Duke replied coolly, first summoning Gradius (1200/800) and then using the Limiter Removal magic card to double Gradius' attack. Duke knew that he could easily destroy Joey's goblins, who were still stuck in defense mode, but he wanted to end the duel in one swift move. Fortunately, he had just the card he needed to make that happen. With Fairy Meteor Crush, Duke was able to inflict battle damage, despite the goblins' defensive position, and bring Joey's life points down to zero.

The small group that had gathered to witness the game - Duke's cheerleaders and Joey's friends - had gone silent for a moment before the cheerleaders erupted with shrieks of victory. Joey stood silently solemn as his platform lowered. He had no idea who he was up against.

Dani figured that Duke would've immediately set his sights on Yugi now that the faux duel was finished, but instead Duke seemed to be savoring his victory. "You lost the duel, Joey," he sneered. "So now you have to do whatever I say, like a good little boy."

On cue, one of the cheerleaders brought a dog costume over to Joey. While Kaiba seemed to find the situation laughable, Dani couldn't bear to watch any more. "That's enough!" she shouted, emerging from the hall.

Duke looked genuinely surprised at first, but regained composure. "Welcome to the party, sis. Guess dad was able to pick you up?"

She scoffed. "Yeah, right. I had help from...a friend."

"Oh, you mean Kaiba? Did you bring your boyfriend along with you?" Duke asked, jokingly glancing around for him.

"Shut up," she muttered defensively. "That's beside the point. You need to stop this...all of this. Stop humiliating Joey. Stop whatever you're plotting against Yugi."

Duke feigned a thoughtful expression before smirking. "Hmmm...I don't think so. Some of us still care about their family. Some of us will do _whatever_ it takes to make things right."

Sensing that basic pleading won't work, Dani modified her approach. "Alright," she said, nodding. "Let's say you accomplish whatever you hope to accomplish here today. How will that make things better? Were you personally affected by what happened between Dad and Mr. Muto? Would defeating Yugi in a duel reverse the effects of their game?"

"I don't have to justify my reasoning to you, Dani," he said lowly. "I'm just doing what needs to be done."

She laughed bitterly. "You don't have to do anything! This is our father's vendetta, not yours, and yet he's making you do all the dirty work because he's a bitter, disfigured coward!"

"Don't talk about him like that! You don't understand what we've been through. You and Mom ran away from your problems. How did that help anyone? Who's the real coward here?" he asked, voice cracking with emotion.

 _Ouch_ , Dani thought, feeling a sharp sting of guilt. "You're right," she admitted. "In a way, we did run from our problems, but we had no choice. Dad was becoming too deranged. But obviously I still care about you, Duke. I couldn't live with leaving you behind with him - that's why I came back!"

The hardened expression Duke wore was crumbling into one of fear and sadness. He glanced over at the menacing clown that adorned the wall behind Dani and felt a chill run down his spine. Deep down, he knew that Dani really did care about him, but he couldn't dwell on those thoughts...not after all the threats their father had made. _I'm sorry, Dani, but this is just something I have to see through. I hope you can forgive me when this is all over…_

For now, Duke needed to focus on giving Yugi the humiliating defeat he surely deserved - but for that to happen, Duke would have to snuff out Dani's desire to "save him."

When he turned back to face her again, his emerald eyes were alit with cruelty. "When are you going to learn to admit defeat?" he asked. "Maybe that's just a trait all _losers_ have...they don't know when to quit. You chose your own path, and I chose mine, so just _BACK OFF_!" Getting caught up in his own fiery facade, Duke took it a step further and physically shoved Dani away from him, which caused her to stumble and fall.

Kaiba, who had been watching everything transpire from the hall, had seen enough. Almost beyond his control, he stepped forward and was about to reprimand Duke, but Yugi beat him to it.

"That is enough, Duke Devlin," Yugi declared. "You say that you and your father have a vendetta against me, yet you've done nothing but antagonize Joey and mistreat Dani. Let's settle this dispute with a duel!"

Normally Kaiba wasn't one to appreciate someone interrupting him, but in this case he was actually...thankful. _What the hell is going on with me?_ He wondered, clutching his head as though he'd been possessed just moments ago. _I could care less about all this drama...but when Duke shoved her like that, when he_ hurt _her...I cared._

* * *

 **A/N:** Ahhh so sorry for the lack of updates in the last month! This chapter kept feeling too much like a filler so I kept re-writing it until it felt right . If anything else this chapter definitely had plenty of character development: we found out that Kaiba _does_ feel something for Dani, and Duke doesn't actually want to carry through with his father's plans!

In the next chapter: Duke challenges Yugi to a game of Dungeon Dice Monsters...but things take a dangerous turn when Mr. Clown disrupts the game.

I have the next five chapters outlined so there definitely shouldn't be a delay in updates :) Comments = LOVE


	13. Evil Twin Brother, Part III

Frozen by Your Side

By: Darkest Ember

Chapter 13: Evil Twin Brother, Part III

* * *

 **Summary:** Dani Devlin is Duke Devlin's estranged twin sister. When they were younger, their father had asked a local game shop owner, Solomon Muto, to teach him to be a game master. They end up playing a dangerous game that ages their father 50 years in one night. From that moment on, he becomes obsessed with vengeance and plans to use Duke as a means to that revenge. Unable to save them both, their mother escapes with Dani and moves to America. A few years later, Dani starts to see the negative changes in her brother and decides to move back to Domino during her junior year of high school to save him. There, she meets Yugi and the gang, who all share her love for Duel Monsters. She hopes that they can also help Duke return to his old self. And then there's Seto Kaiba. Dani doesn't exactly get off on the right foot with him, but perhaps he is the one who can change _her_ for the better.

The story begins sometime between the Duelist Kingdom and Dungeon Dice Monster arcs and will go through Battle City. Inspired by the manga storyline that shows "Mr. Clown" (Duke's dad) as the reason why Duke challenges Yugi.

Some chapters will start with a foreshadowing segment of Dani and Kaiba's online chat...neither of them know the true identity of who they're talking to, but end up becoming friends online (picture something like A Cinderella Story with Hillary Duff and Chad Michael Murray).

 **Pairing:** Kaiba x OC

* * *

 _Earlier That Day…_

With a sudden jolt, Duke woke up on the floor of his office. Sketches of early Dungeon Dice Monsters concepts were scattered around him. He glanced at his drawings and smiled sadly. Before he got wrapped up in his father's evil plans, all Duke had to worry about was convincing Pegasus to sponsor his game.

His meeting with Pegasus was only a couple months ago, but it felt like a lifetime. He remembered how quickly his doubts about the game were put to rest when he received such a positive response from his idol. But as days passed without any follow-up from Pegasus, his feelings of accomplishment began to fade, which made it all too easy for his father to swoop in and mold that negativity into a thirst for retribution.

"Are you just going to let the Mutos ruin us _again_?" Mr. Clown had asked, downing some Scotch. "You know it's Yugi's fault that you haven't heard from Pegasus. Losing his own tournament must've really messed the guy up."

Duke couldn't deny that his father made some valid points. Before long, Mr. Clown's tempting words made the concept of revenge very appealing. Once he agreed to work alongside his father, his dejection transformed into determination. Duke abandoned his plans for marketing Dungeon Dice Monsters and focused solely on how he would destroy Yugi Muto.

One plan involved luring Yugi into the shop on Opening Day and framing him for stealing some packs of Duel Monsters cards. Security would bring him to a private room where he would be interrogated to rattle his nerves. Then Duke would lead him into an arena and publically humiliate him in a game of Dungeon Dice Monsters. But that plan would only work if Yugi happened to stumble into the shop at the right time.

Another plan required Duke to befriend Yugi and trick him into coming to the shop for a harmless game that would secretly lead to Yugi's undoing. That plan seemed more tangible, so Duke asked his father to enroll him as a student at Domino High.

Shortly after Duke received his orientation paperwork, Dani decided to return to Domino. Although he was still committed to his plan, Duke seemed to spend less time plotting with her around. Having his sister back reminded him of the rivalry they shared in their childhood and the mischievous adventures they'd go on. He was more than willing to take a break from scheming so he could show off his new game and see how she'd fare against him. Unfortunately, that never really happened because the arena began malfunctioning during their match. And instead of bonding with him, his sister ended up bonding with Kaiba ever since he repaired the arena.

With a regretful sigh, Duke reached for his phone and tried calling Dani again. Her familiar voicemail message played tauntingly in response. Knowing he wasn't going to get ahold of her, he angrily tossed his phone into his backpack and locked his office.

He hadn't formally met the guy that his father hired to be the "daytime manager," so Duke thought he should at least see if the spineless fool would be strong enough to handle the crowd waiting outside. Before he reached the sales office, a shadowy figure stepped out in front of him. "Hello, son," Mr. Clown said, his screechy voice sounding extra hollow in his mask.

"Dad…the shop is about to open," he said hesitantly. "Shouldn't you be downstairs handing out balloons or something?"

Mr. Clown chuckled lowly. "I suppose that's all I'm good for these days. Think of how different things would be if I hadn't lost that game…"

"Or if you hadn't played at all," Duke muttered.

"Regardless...we can't change the past, but we _can_ ensure that our future will be better. Today is a very important day...it's the day you will restore the Devlin name." Mr. Clown took off his mask and cradled it in his arms as he looked at his son. "Failure is _not_ an option."

"I-I understand," Duke stammered, avoiding eye contact. Even after all these years, Duke was still somewhat horrified by his father's unnaturally haggard appearance. "I'll bring Yugi to the shop after school and challenge him to a game of Dungeon Dice Monsters. Then when he loses, I'll take his puzzle."

Mr. Clown nodded approvingly. "Very good. And you think your game is challenging enough?"

"Of course it's challenging enough," Duke shot back, offended.

"It better be. We only have one shot at this, so we have to make it count," he said, pausing before leaving. "One more thing - make sure you bring him to the last arena in the hall. And don't let anyone else in."

"You've got to be kidding," Duke protested. "The world needs to see that Yugi is a fraud."

"Relax, son," Mr. Clown said, holding his hands up defensively. "There will be cameras in the arena that will broadcast the entire spectacle."

"Perfect," Duke said, smirking. The thought of being seen by all of Domino...being seen as the supreme gamer that he was...was appealing enough to dismiss his doubts.

* * *

About an hour after Duke left for school, Mr. Clown, who was playing the role of "store mascot," received a rather interesting phone call.

"Hello is this Mr. Devlin?"

"Yes it is," he replied, clearing his throat in an attempt to sound less decrepit.

"I'm sure you've been worried about your daughter, Danielle. She had an unexcused absence yesterday and says she was injured. She did come to school today, but we don't feel comfortable with the situation. Could you tell me what happened?"

Beneath his mask, Mr. Clown's lips twisted into a cruel smile. "I'm afraid I don't know what happened to dear Danielle. I haven't seen her in two days."

There was an uneasy silence on the other end. "Well she says that she got into an argument with you at your family's shop and then she slipped on the floor and injured her head…"

"My daughter and I have had a hard time...re-connecting since she moved back to Japan. I'm not surprised that she'd try to blame me for whatever happened. She seems to blame me for everything these days," he said with contrived sadness.

"I see," the secretary said sympathetically. "Well, your daughter will have to stay after school until you can come in and sign her out."

"Thank you for informing me."

 _And just like that, the only person who would have interfered with my plans has been taken care of,_ Mr. Clown thought gleefully. _Dani will be trapped at school while Duke brings Yugi here to extract our overdue revenge._

* * *

 _Present_

The air was thick with tension as Yugi and Duke stared each other down. The arena, which had previously echoed the cheerleaders' cheers and Joey's whimpering protests, was now silent and still. Yugi had seen and heard enough - he couldn't sit back and watch Duke humiliate Joey and disrespect Dani.

 _Whatever score Duke Devlin feels the need to settle with me will be settled now_ , Yugi thought with his fists clenched determinedly.

In Yugi's mind, a spirit's voice responded. The voice sounded similar to his own, but it was deeper and far more fearless. _I agree with you, Yugi_ , the spirit said. _I don't like the notion of playing directly into this bully's hands, but we must end this. I know you were worried about Dani when she didn't attend school the day after she told you about her brother's intentions. She wanted to help us, but now we need to help her. We can free Duke from this darkness in his soul._

Feeling a surge of reassurance from the spirit's words, Yugi held his millenium puzzle and switched places with his gaming partner. Yugi was quick to denounce Duke's actions and challenge him to a duel.

Much to his surprise, Duke shrugged with disinterest. "Don't you find that challenge to be a little...lackluster? Aren't you tired of always playing the same game?"

Yugi frowned. "What other game do you have in mind?"

Duke's eyes widened with savage intensity. "If you _really_ want to challenge me and 'put me in my place' for all the terrible things I've done, why don't we a play a game of my own design? I challenge you to a game of Dungeon Dice Monsters! Oh and in case you haven't noticed, I tend to make wagers on all of my matches. So, if I win, I'll take your precious puzzle."

There was an odd feeling of conflict inside Yugi. The spirit, never one to back down from a challenge, was ready to accept. Admittedly, Yugi had been interested in learning about this game ever since he saw that flyer; however, they both knew that Duke wouldn't graciously take the time to explain the rules, which not only gave Duke a massive advantage, but also meant that they'd have to learn the game as they played.

 _I'm not so sure about this,_ Yugi thought. _If we lose...we'll lose everything._

 _I understand your concern, Yugi. But if we fight together, just like we did in Duelist Kingdom, we will emerge victorious. And we can use this situation to make sure Duke never hurts anyone again. Trust me._

Yugi, still helplessly hesitant, envied the spirit's ability to remain confident in such a situation. "I accept your terms, Duke - but if I win then you must relieve Joey of his obligation and cease this foolish revenge scheme you're carrying out for your father."

Duke laughed flatly as he returned to his platform. "Not that I expect someone like you to fully understand what's going on here, but this isn't just about what my father wants." He glanced over at Dani, who was still sprawled on the floor, and gave her a pointed look. It was as though his next words were directed more so at his sister than his opponent...as if he were still attempting to justify his actions. "I've wanted to face you for quite some time, Yugi. I can't hold you fully responsible for what happened between our families in the past, but I _can_ hold you responsible for what you did to Maximillion Pegasus. When you deceitfully defeated him at Duelist Kingdom, you did something to him...he just dropped off the face of the earth...and that is something I cannot forgive!"

Yugi's eyes widened in surprise. Everyone seemed to think that Duke was acting as a sort of pawn in his father's scheme - but he also had his own reasons for his participation. After the shock of this revelation wore off, Yugi observed, "It would seem that you are the one who doesn't fully understand things, Duke. Pegasus may have been a great game-maker, but he also committed many atrocious acts before and during his recent tournament. There's so much more to that situation than you could possibly know."

Duke's eyes were wide with disbelief. "No!" he protested. "You're just a cheater _and_ a liar. And after this match, the whole world will know."

* * *

Growing bored with all the theatrics between Duke and Yugi, Kaiba slipped out of the shadowy hallway and begrudgingly offered a hand to help Dani off the ground. "If you're planning on watching this match, you should probably stand up so you can at least see over the arena wall," he said.

Dani glanced up at him and blinked a few tears away. "Maybe I don't want to watch it."

Kaiba was becoming increasingly agitated. His fingers coiled up into a fist before he withdrew his hand. "So you're just going to keep sitting there like a defeated fool?"

Dani opened her mouth to say something but then stopped herself and stood up on her own. "How dare you!" she cried melodramatically before walking over to the bleachers. Much to both their surprise, Kaiba followed suit.

"I just...I can't believe this is happening," Dani muttered, more to herself than to him. "After everything I did to prevent it...it wasn't good enough."

Kaiba felt the urge to roll his eyes, but somehow he managed to resist. Even though he cared very little about all of this, Kaiba sympathized with Dani's feelings of disappointment. He witnessed how determined she was to be the hero in this situation, and for a moment, he seemed certain that she was going to break through to Duke during her spirited monologue.

Offering words of comfort was a foreign concept to him. His hand lingered awkwardly above her shoulder before he pulled it back suddenly. "Look…," he began hesitantly. She tore her eyes away from the arena and looked at him questioningly. "You gave it your best shot. Don't sit here and feel sorry for yourself because things didn't go the way you wanted."

"But it's my _brother_ , Kaiba. I can't lose him-."

"I don't care who it is," he interrupted. "Sometimes the people that are closest to you are the ones that hurt you the most. If you let it affect you, you'll just be digging a hole you won't be able to crawl out of..."

His voice trailed off as his own memories of pain and betrayal at the hands of his "family" played in the back of his mind. He remembered how he had to stay strong for Mokuba's sake after their parents died. How their surviving relatives took their inheritance and dumped them off at the orphanage. How he stood up for Mokuba anytime one of the other orphans tried to bully him.

Once his mind reached the point where they were adopted, he shook his head to clear his thoughts. That was definitely a portion of memory lane that he did not feel apt to walk down.

Dani was a little stunned by the candid response. But as she watched him and noted the distant glassy look in his eyes, she knew that it was more than just some inspirational words. _He's speaking from personal experience,_ she realized. Situations such as this always made her incredibly uncomfortable - and she often resorted to some form of sarcasm to ease her way out of it. Despite her instincts pushing her in that direction, she found herself remaining silent.

Her hand reached down to his, which had been resting on the cool metallic bleacher, and the moment their hands touched, she felt that same spark she'd felt when they were working on the arena together. The gesture was more than enough to snap Kaiba out of his reverie as his wide eyes darted down and a heated blush spread across his cheeks.

"I may not know all the details, but I do know that regardless of all the amazing things you have now, your life wasn't always the greatest," she said softly. Gesturing out to the arena, where Duke and Yugi were busy selecting their dice, she continued, "I'm sure this whole situation with my family seems insignificant to your own personal issues, but I really do appreciate you being here...helping me with all this."

Kaiba's hand slithered out from under hers as though he'd just touched a hot surface. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked away from her, hoping that she didn't see how... _embarrassed_ he felt. Seto Kaiba _never_ felt embarrassed or awkward. "Just consider yourself lucky," he muttered, lamely.

* * *

The surprisingly strong combination of Duke's cheerleaders kept Joey, still dressed in his degrading dog suit, on the opposite side of the arena as everyone else. Every time he'd try to creep over by the blue side of the field, one of them would strike him with her pom-poms and mutter some sort of "bad dog" comment.

Fortunately, Tea and Tristan were able to stand close to Yugi's platform. They offered him their usual pep talks and positive vibes, but they didn't seem to be registering with Yugi. Tea had noticed the transformation - it happened right before Yugi challenged Duke. It really was amazing to her - the fact that this spirit or whatever was inside the puzzle looked so much and yet so little like Yugi. During all the challenges they faced in Duelist Kingdom, he was always the strong backbone of the group.

But now...now she could see signs of stress as he looked at the assortment of colored dice and attempted to determine which would be the best to add to his dice pool. Of course it didn't help that Duke didn't give any explanation on what the different dice colors and symbols meant.

"I've never seen him look like that," Tristan commented, echoing Tea's thoughts.

Tea nervously bit her lower lip. "I-I'm sure he'll be fine. Why don't we go take a seat and let him focus?" she suggested.

Tristan nodded and followed her over to the bleachers were Kaiba and Dani had already situated themselves.

As they approached the bleachers, Tea noticed that Kaiba and Dani were sitting suspiciously close together. She nudged Tristan and tried to direct his attention to the sight, but he didn't seem to see what was so interesting. _I hope when this is all said and done, Dani decides to stick around. Clearly, I need more female friends,_ she thought, rolling her eyes as she dragged a confused Tristan over to the bench behind Domino City's hottest future couple.

* * *

The Dungeon Dice Monsters match began negatively for Yugi. Duke intentionally waited a couple turns before informing him that the colors and symbols were important to consider when picking your dice pool. Of course Duke's dice pool was meticulously chosen with the sole purpose of destroying his opponent as soon as possible, which was an interesting contrast to his more drawn-out taunting tactics against Joey.

A small part of Dani took this as a sign of hope. _Maybe he really doesn't want to play against Yugi,_ the optimistic voice considered. _Maybe he's just going through with this for show, regardless of the outcome, so that Dad can't get mad at him for not trying._ As nice as that would be, there were still two problems with that scenario - one: their father would be furious if Duke lost, and two: the look of fierce determination that darkened Duke's eyes indicated that he had every intention of destroying his opponent.

And it would seem that that would be the likely outcome of this match. Within just a couple turns, Duke managed to build a dungeon path leading directly to Yugi's heart points, which allowed him to remove one without much hassle.

This onslaught continued for many grueling turns before Yugi was fortunate enough to start rolling the right dice. While Duke was busy insisting that there's no way Yugi can just make a comeback like that, Dani was observing the way Yugi was behaving. The moment he challenged Duke, it was as though he'd been possessed by someone else. But demon possessions can't explain his slight growth in height, the variant spike pattern in his hair, or the deep confidence in his voice. Fearing that she might be going crazy, Dani leaned back a little and nudged Tea. "Is it just me or does Yugi seem...different?"

Dani braced herself for the taunting round of laughter she expected to hear in response, but she was surprised to find a stoic look on Tea's face as she glanced at Yugi. "I think it has something to do with his millenium puzzle," she replied, still keeping her eyes locked on him. "Yugi said that it feels like there's a spirit inside there who helps him out when he's in a difficult situation."

Kaiba scoffed. "You can't be serious. Why don't you do us all a favor and keep your hocus pocus nonsense to yourself?"

Tea crossed her arms over chest and pouted. "So you're telling me that's the same Yugi you saw at school today? Nothing seems different at all?"

Although Kaiba had no intention of continuing what he considered to be a pointless conversation, Dani cut in and shifted the focus away from him anyway. "Wait so if it's a spirit does that mean he possess Yugi? That's so weird…," she murmured.

 _What the hell is my life turning into?_ She wondered in disbelief. _Two months ago all I had to worry about was finding a good spot at the beach or getting to Disneyland before all the ride wait times became too long. Now I'm watching my brother do the bidding of my supernaturally disfigured father...cheering for a new friend who is possessed by an ancient Egyptian spirit...and developing feelings for a teenaged CEO. Wait...what?!_

Embarrassed by her own thoughts, Dani refused to continue having this conversation with herself and instead focused solely on the match - which still seemed to be playing in Duke's favor. Things seemed completely hopeless for Yugi once Duke summoned Orgoth The Relentless, which was one of his favorite monsters.

"You may have been able to figure out a few complicated moves," Duke resentfully admitted, "but you will never be able to beat me, Yugi. I have the upper hand in every possible way."

"Yeah only cause ya ain't explaining all the rules to him," Joey muttered. "Who's da cheater now?"

Duke's look of smug satisfaction twisted into one of outrage as he addressed Joey. "Why don't you be a good dog and _shut up_ ," he snarled, flicking a pair of dice at Joey.

Joey rubbed his forehead where the dice hit him surprisingly hard. He was about to fire back another snarky remark, but decided against it when Duke's cheerleaders started encircling him. Normally, Joey would love to be surrounded by girls, but this was one time he desperately wished he could be on the other side of the arena.

"Enough already!" Dani shouted. "Just play the damn game."

Duke looked at her in disbelief. "It's not just some game," he gritted out. "How many times do I have to tell you that?"

"Let me see if I got this straight, so I can spare you from wasting your breath _again_ " Kaiba said dismissively. "You're playing this Duel Monsters rip-off game because you have a very obvious advantage over your opponent, who you're only fighting on behalf of other people? Whatever happened with your father in the past doesn't concern you now, and neither does whatever happened with that psycho Pegasus."

The room fell silent for a moment as everyone stared at him in shock. It wasn't like Seto Kaiba to willingly sit through one of Yugi's duels if it didn't involve him...and it _really_ wasn't like Seto Kaiba to get involved in whatever drama tended to surround Yugi's duels. Even Duke and Dani, who had only known Kaiba for a week, were surprised by this uncharacteristic behavior. _How ironic would it be if Kaiba was the one who gets through to Duke...despite his endless complaining about getting involved with this in the first place_ , she thought, resisting the urge to laugh a little. Duke, on the other hand, felt very differently about the situation.

The regular white dice that he had been holding - that he always seemed to be holding - fell out of his hand as he slammed his hands on the platform and glared over the plastic visor at Kaiba. "I don't know how anyone, especially my sister, could ever choose to spend their time with you. So big deal, you're the CEO of a company. Shouldn't you be there instead of wasting your time at a 'minor' event like this? How pitiful."

Although Duke's words were harsh, they didn't seem to make a single dent in Kaiba's metaphorical armor. In fact, he almost looked like _he_ wanted to laugh. "Your sister is the only one who seems to have even a shred of sense in this delusional family, which is why she so wisely asked for my assistance. Although I normally prefer to work alone with my _computers_ ," he said, pausing to lock eyes with Yugi, "Dani's company hasn't been the worst thing in the world. Oh, not like you would know, but that's the benefit of being in charge - I make my own schedule. You think you're any better than me? The only reason your plan succeeded thus far is because you took a cheap shot and tricked Wheeler into coming here, knowing that he'd say yes and that Yugi and the rest of these nerds would follow him. That's the definition of pitiful right there."

* * *

Usually when there was a conflict, Yugi was quick to jump in and resolve it. He was about to do just that after Duke and Kaiba's first round of insults, but then he froze when Kaiba mentioned computers. _The fact that Kaiba is getting so involved in this is pretty odd, but what's even weirder is how it looked like he was looking directly at us when he said the word "computers,"_ Yugi observed _._ The spirit had also noticed this, which appeared to be a direct suggestion. He spun around and tapped the computer screen next to his crest pool. As soon as the screen flashed on, he discovered that it was actually a fully functional help screen. He used his time wisely and scoured the screen for any useful information that could help him plan his next move. Duke's dungeon path had almost entirely covered the whole playing field, and Yugi knew that he'd need one hell of a spectacular move to get himself out of the corner Duke backed him into.

Images of dice and their explanations flashed across the screen, causing Yugi to sigh in frustration. _I already have a basic understanding of what each die means...I need to know more about the monsters and their effects._ After a few more moments of fruitless scrolling, Yugi was about to return to the game, but froze when an image of the Dark Magician appeared. _If the Dark Magician's in this game,_ Yugi thought excitedly, _then I bet all his abilities are incorporated as well. And luckily I have plenty of magic crests in my crest pool._

Renewed with a sense of confidence and strategy, Yugi looked at the dice that shot out of his slot. His eyes widened when he saw that not only were the summoning crests high enough to summon the Dark Magician, but they were also all the same level. Without his deck's Heart of the Cards, Yugi wasn't really sure what to believe in as he held the dice in his hand. He glanced down at Joey, who was sitting miserably in his dog suit, and at Dani, who looked mortified as Duke and Kaiba dragged her into their argument...at Tristan and Tea, who have supported him this entire time and watched this exchange with nervous anticipation...and Kaiba, who had no reason to be here but still ended up coming and giving him some very useful advice. _My friends,_ he realized. _That's what I have to believe in...with their support, I know I can win this game._

He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath before letting the dice roll. The sound of them clattering against the plastic visor sounded far louder than the drowned out conversation still going on between Duke and Kaiba. When Yugi opened his eyes, he saw that he'd rolled the summoning crests needed to bring forth the Dark Magician. Finding one last section of diagonal empty spaces in his territory, he dimensioned the dice and summoned his favorite monster. After what had mostly been a difficult and desperate match, victory finally seemed to be in his grasp.

* * *

The vein that had been throbbing in Duke's forehead as he exchanged insults with Kaiba felt like it was going to explode when he heard Yugi smugly say, " _Dimension the dice_!" Duke's ponytail practically whipped him in the face from the sheer speed he'd spun around to redirect his attention to the playing field. _He's gotta be joking_ , he thought, feeling a twinge of panic rattle his body. _I've completely taken over the field. There isn't a big enough space for him to dimension the dice._

Much to his shock and horror, Yugi managed to find an angled spot that had just enough squares for the dice's digital walls to fall into. And to make matters worse, Yugi was able to summon the one monster Duke was hoping he wouldn't know was in this game - the damn Dark Magician.

 _It's fine...having the monster is no threat to me. I doubt he'll be able to figure out how to use any of its abilities_ , he thought, attempting to reassure himself.

But Yugi was smarter than Duke would ever give him credit for. What might have seemed like a collection of useless rolls in the beginning of the match actually ended up working in Yugi's favor. Now he had an assortment of movement and magic crests ready to be used. "I'll use these spare movement crests to move my Dark Magician toward your Orgoth the Relentless," he declared.

Duke braced himself for the attack and glared at his opponent. He couldn't understand what had changed so suddenly to give Yugi the upper-hand. Even though he'd been losing with only one heart point to Yugi's two, he still felt confident that he would be the victor. There were so many things about this game that Yugi didn't know, which should've given Duke all the advantage he would need. And yet...here he was on the brink of defeat, watching powerlessly as his favorite monster got destroyed by a magician.

Mentally retracing the course of this game, Duke eventually realized what had happened. With wide, angry eyes, he turned to look at Kaiba, who was looked back at him with a smirk. _I_ knew _it was weird for him to suddenly get so involved like that. He was keeping me distracted so that Yugi could use his help screen!_

"You're all a bunch of cheaters!" he shouted, sounding like a prematurely sore loser. "But it doesn't matter. I've had a backup plan ready and waiting for just a moment like this. You see that treasure chest in my corner here? It actually has a very powerful item inside, which I will now use my Dark Assailant to open."

He excitedly grinned as his words seemed to change the mood in the room. The once-hopeful Tea, Tristan, and Joey looked concerned; the smug, self-satisfied Yugi now stared at the treasure chest with tense anticipation. Once the monster opened the chest, Yugi asked, "What is that?"

Duke smirked. "It's a Monster Cannon. I can use my monsters as ammunition to fire at any one of yours, so get ready to say bye-bye to your Dark Magician. Once he's gone, you won't be able to summon any more monsters and then I will destroy your remaining heart points!"

Panicked, Yugi glanced back at the computer screen and desperately tried to figure out a way out of the situation. Duke thoroughly enjoyed watching that panic transfer back into his opponent. He was never accustomed to losing, so that feeling he felt moments ago when Yugi pulled off a surprisingly good move was unbearable. Thankfully, it passed promptly.

Just moments away from his victory, Duke could hardly contain himself. He looked at the clown statue just past Yugi and felt his resolve grow even stronger. Once he defeated Yugi, Duke was certain that his father would become his old self again - not physically, of course, but emotionally and mentally, perhaps. His eyes darted over to his sister, who met his gaze. Unlike his emerald eyes, which were alit with excitement and suspense, hers were narrowed with anger and anticipation. _I promise I'll make it up to you, sis._

He shook his head to clear out the negative thoughts of doubt and guilt that started to manifest at the sight of his sad sister and redirected his focus onto loading up his Monster Cannon. Once Dark Assailant was loaded, Duke declared his attack. Had he not been so presumptuous of his victory, he might have seen the small smirk on Yugi's face.

"Not so fast, Duke," Yugi said. "I'll use some of my magic crests to activate one of the Dark Magician's abilities - the equivalent of the Magical Hats card in Duel Monsters." Three large hats appeared on the field and concealed the Dark Magician. "You'll have to guess which hat contains my magician, and if you guess incorrectly, your turn is over."

Duke bit his lower lip as he stared at the three hats and wondered which one contained the monster. Normally, Duke loved games of chance, especially when he controlled the odds, but this time the odds seemed to be stacked against him. After a fleeting second of apprehensive deliberation, Duke fired his cannon at the hat on the left. Everyone watched with bated breath as the hat was destroyed - with nothing inside.

* * *

The sight of the empty hat didn't bring Dani as much joy as she would've hoped. She knew that Yugi had to win this match, but she was starting to feel bad for her brother. It was obvious that the pressure was starting to affect his decision-making - he would never just rush into a move like that. Winning meant the world to him, and she knew he'd be devastated if he lost, but she was more afraid of what their father would do to him when he finds out.

 _Wait...that's no way to think. I'm here and so are my friends - we'll make sure that evil clown won't do anything to hurt Duke. In fact, that's all the more reason for Duke to lose! It might sting his ego, but it's in his best interest. Our father won't stop just because Yugi was defeated in a game. I know there's more to it than that,_ Dani thought. The cycle of abuse and neglect would only continue, and she wasn't sure they'd get another opportunity to stop him.

She wished desperately that she could've shouted out some words of encouragement, like Tea and Tristan were currently doing for Yugi, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. None of this would've happened if he would've just _listened_ to her, so in a sense, he deserves every unnerving moment of this.

"You're being unusually quiet," Kaiba noted, stealing a glance at her before returning his attention to the game. Normally, Dani wouldn't care for his side comments, but this time she was thankful he said something because it distracted her from her back-and-forth guilt trip she was experiencing.

She smirked. "And _you're_ being unusually talkative. Must be opposite day."

Kaiba snorted. "Wow, I've heard better comebacks from Mokuba, and he's still a child."

While they played through what was rapidly becoming flirty banter, Yugi was busy using yet another one of the Dark Magician's abilities - Mystic Box - to not only destroy Duke's Yaranzo, but also allow the Dark Magician to take Yaranzo's place on the field, which happened to be in striking range of Duke's last remaining heart point.

Despite knowing that he was going to lose, Duke was still determined to protest. He angrily gripped the sides of his platform and glowered at his opponent. "Don't you dare call that final attack, Yugi. If you do, you'll only confirm everyone's suspicion that you're nothing but a cheater! There's _no way_ you could form such a complex strategy during your first time playing this game. It's not possible."

Yugi smirked. "Call me whatever you like, Duke, but it will not change the facts. I was able to achieve this victory because I have my friends here supporting me. Perhaps if your heart wasn't so clouded with misplaced greed and hatred, things would've played out differently in this match."

And with that, Yugi decided it best to no longer drag out this drama and ended the match with one last Dark Magic Attack. As Duke's multi-colored heart dimmed to black, he slumped back in his platform with a look of pure devastation on his face. He wanted to continue protesting and arguing that clearly the results of this game were invalid, but all he could mutter was, " _I lost?_ "

Tristan and Tea leapt off the bleachers and cheered, while Joey gladly discarded the dog suit. Yugi grinned thankfully at his friends, but that grin quickly vanished when a set of a flamethrowers suddenly popped out of the sides of the platform and shot blasts of fire at him. Yugi fell backwards and hit the railing hard. The flames were blocking the button to lower the platform and the main controls for both platforms were on the other side of the arena, which meant that the only way out of the inferno was to jump.

Yugi gauged the distance from the platform to the ground and grimaced. This was not going to be a painless experience, but he knew it needed to be done, so he leapt off the platform. As expected, he landed roughly on his side and felt piercing pain spread along his ribcage. The pain was so intense that he didn't even notice that his puzzle was no longer around his neck.

Before Yugi had even hit the floor, Tristan, Tea, and Joey had already begun running toward his inflamed platform. Dani was about to join them, but Kaiba stood in her way. He wasn't looking at her, and he wasn't looking over at Yugi. She was about to shove him out of the way, but then she followed his gaze and realized that someone else was about to be in danger. She watched in horror as she saw flamethrowers start to slide out of Duke's platform.

"See if the control panel by the hall is still functional," Kaiba said urgently. "I'll see what I can do with the arena panel."

Dani definitely didn't need to be told twice. Instead of using the stairs, they hopped over several rows of bleacher benches to rush to their respective panels. As Dani was running to her panel, she noticed that Duke didn't seem to be aware of the danger he was in. "DUKE!" she shouted. "Get the hell off that platform!"

Duke had hardly registered the commotion coming from Yugi's side of the field, let alone heard his sister shouting at him. Instead, he'd been staring at the blank grid where he'd once had an impressively engulfing dungeon path. _I don't understand...I had every advantage. I had the most strategic dice selection...the strongest monsters...the most powerful effects. How did some_ nobody _defeat a master gamer like me?_

His depressing thoughts of defeat were easily loud enough to drown out everything else. Not wasting another second trying to get his attention, Dani ran to the panel by the hall and figured out which buttons controlled his red platform. She repeatedly pressed the 'down' button hoping that the more she pressed the button, the faster the platform would lower, despite knowing that probably wouldn't be the case.

Just as the flames shot out of the flamethrowers, Duke snapped to attention. In a blur, he saw Yugi's friends surrounding him on the floor...the blue platform enveloped in flames...the clown statue inching forward...and then he saw the fiery wall that was starting to encircle him. He spun around and saw Dani by the external controls, gesturing for him to jump. Just before the flames sealed off his only exit, Duke leapt from the slowly lowering platform and landed in a crouched position on the ground. He didn't seem injured from the incident, but he did look like he was about to topple over, so Dani ran over to him and managed to get there just in time to catch him before he fell.

With his arm slung around her shoulders, Dani began helping Duke limp to the other side of the arena. "Let's go see if Yugi is okay...his escape from the platform looked a little more painful than yours," Dani observed.

"Can't I just be better than him at _one_ thing?" Duke muttered.

"You're joking, right?" Dani asked, flatly.

Before Duke could say whether he was joking or not, both Devlins froze at the sight of a shadowed creature hovering over Yugi and his friends.

"YUGI LOOK OUT!" Dani shouted. Everyone's heads turned around and saw the menacing clown standing behind them.

Mr. Clown's evil cackle reverberated off the walls and sent chills down everyone's spines - even Kaiba felt creeped out as he subconsciously took a defensive stance in front of Dani. Once he was done laughing, Mr. Clown bent down and scooped up the scattered pieces of the broken millenium puzzle and dropped them in a pouch sewn into his hideous clown costume. "I was hoping you'd burn to a crisp, but somehow this," he said, gesturing to his pouch, "is much, much sweeter. Finally, I will harness the mystical powers of this Egyptian artifact, and _your_ family will suffer as mine has for all these years."

"Your family hasn't suffered because of the Mutos," Dani said. "We suffered because of _you_."

Although she couldn't see his face under that haunting clown mask he wore, Dani was sure that he was glaring at her beneath it. Didn't he understand that it was his fault that he got wrapped up in a dangerous game? Didn't he realize that his behavior drove half his family away to another country? Didn't he see that he ruined Duke's childhood by forcing him to become obsessed with winning? Of course, the answer to all these questions was probably a resounding "no," but somehow Dani was hoping that he felt even a _shred_ of guilt for what he did to their family.

Mr. Clown sighed as he stepped closer to Yugi and the others. "I have done nothing wrong. But you two," he snarled, pointing at the Devlin twins, "you almost ruined everything! Fortunately, I knew that I could only rely on myself, so I planned accordingly. It's just as I told you Duke, your sister will make you weak. You wouldn't have lost this match if she hadn't been here!"

"Will this futile drama ever end?" Kaiba groaned. It seemed as though everyone was too caught up in the Devlin drama to notice that the fire was starting to spread across the arena, and he didn't feel like watching his entire Kaiba Corp arena become unsalvageable. He pulled out his phone and dialed Roland.

Unfortunately, he wasn't able to explain what was going on. "Not so fast, boy," Mr. Clown snarled, whipping out a water gun. His gun shot surprisingly fast and intense streams of water that knocked the phone right out of Kaiba's hands. "I think you've complicated my plans enough for one week."

Kaiba could care less about his now-cracked phone lying at his feet; what he _did_ care about was this lunatic implying that somehow he had been involved in this plan. "And what exactly do you mean by that?"

"Didn't you find it odd that your precious machinery was malfunctioning? Wasn't it strange that a brand new Kaiba Corp arena had been tampered with? I was almost done rigging the arena to toast the loser of a Dungeon Dice Monsters match, but then you had to come here and restore the original settings."

Duke, finally finding the strength to stand on his own, stepped forward and glared at his father. "Did you know that I was taking Dani to play that day? If you had successfully rigged the field, you could've killed her!"

"Hey, that's assuming I lost. It also could've killed _you_ ," she pouted, unable to hold back the petty comment.

"Well fortunately for dear Dani, I wasn't able to program it the way I wanted. Perhaps I should thank you, Mr. Kaiba," he sneered. "When you forced me to start from scratch with my modification, I decided to add an extra condition. You see, I had a feeling that Duke wouldn't have what it took to defeat Yugi, so I rigged the machine in such a way that _both_ players would get torched. Turns out my suspicions were correct."

Whatever strength Duke had mustered to stand on his own began draining from his body as his father's words registered in his mind. _He didn't even think I could do it...he'd rather_ kill _me than see me lose_ , Duke thought, falling to his knees.

Dani immediately ran over to Duke and crouched next to him and pulled him into an embrace. "You think you know everything, don't you?" Dani spat. "Well what you _don't_ know is your plan will not succeed. There's more of us than there are of you."

Mr. Clown snickered. "You expect me to be afraid of a couple children? The only one here who possesses even a sliver of power is your little boyfriend, and yet there's nothing he can do without his company minions."

"He's not my boyfriend!" Dani shouted, as Kaiba simultaneously declared, "I'm not her boyfriend!" It was one thing for Dani to say it - she was just sick of people making up rumors about her - but to hear Kaiba say it with such defense - that stung.

Kaiba, seemingly unaffected by the comment from Dani, said, "If you think I need my employees to overcome this situation, then you're even more of an imbecile than I thought."

Mr. Clown was about to demonstrate just how wrong Kaiba was, but paused when he heard someone pounding on the entrance doors. "I bet that's them right now, isn't it? Well too bad your security team probably lacks the necessary intelligence to crack the passcode."

Kaiba, knowing that his team wouldn't have arrived so quickly, frowned as he stared down the hall and wondered who else would be trying to get in here. His curiosity was quickly satisfied as the doors flew off their hinges and revealed the silhouette of a single person.

"It seems like you all could use a bit of assistance," a chilling voice said from the shadows.

* * *

 **A/N:** Now that Mr. Clown's first vengeance scheme failed, what will he do next? Who is that mysterious stranger standing in the hallway? How will Dani and the others escape from this crazy clown and a spreading fire? Find out in the next chapter!

Apologies for the delayed update :l I appreciate your patience and hope you continue to enjoy this story! Chapter 14 will be posted by the end of the month.


	14. Killer Clown

Frozen by Your Side

By: Darkest Ember

Chapter 14: Killer Clown

* * *

 **Summary:** Dani Devlin is Duke Devlin's estranged twin sister. When they were younger, their father had asked a local game shop owner, Solomon Muto, to teach him to be a game master. They end up playing a dangerous game that ages their father 50 years in one night. From that moment on, he becomes obsessed with vengeance and plans to use Duke as a means to that revenge. Unable to save them both, their mother escapes with Dani and moves to America. A few years later, Dani starts to see the negative changes in her brother and decides to move back to Domino during her junior year of high school to save him. There, she meets Yugi and the gang, who all share her love for Duel Monsters. She hopes that they can also help Duke return to his old self. And then there's Seto Kaiba. Dani doesn't exactly get off on the right foot with him, but perhaps he is the one who can change _her_ for the better.

The story begins sometime between the Duelist Kingdom and Dungeon Dice Monster arcs and will go through Battle City. Inspired by the manga storyline that shows "Mr. Clown" (Duke's dad) as the reason why Duke challenges Yugi.

Some chapters will start with a foreshadowing segment of Dani and Kaiba's online chat...neither of them know the true identity of who they're talking to, but end up becoming friends online (picture something like A Cinderella Story with Hillary Duff and Chad Michael Murray).

 **Pairing:** Kaiba x OC

* * *

The deafening sound of flames tearing through the arena's metal frame was the only thing anyone could hear in the otherwise silent space. Nobody dared to speak as the shadowy figure crept closer to the edge of the hall.

Their burning curiosity was satiated once a familiar, albeit spookier-than-usual, white-haired boy stepped into the arena. The reflection of the flames dancing across his pale skin made him look particularly menacing as he approached the group.

It took Dani a moment to realize that this was someone she'd met a couple days ago. She remembered that he had been hanging out with Yugi's friends; however, she didn't remember him looking so cruel and calculating. _This can't be the same soft-spoken boy that was with Tea and Tristan a couple days ago,_ Dani thought, her gaze falling from his face to the golden item hanging from his neck. _Don't tell me he's also possessed by some Ancient Egyptian artifact..._

While Yami and the gang seemed visibly disturbed by Bakura's appearance, everyone else felt indifferent about the reveal. Kaiba knew that it wasn't his men who were at the door, so the familiar feeling of annoyed disappointment settled in. Duke and Mr. Clown had no idea who this strange boy was, but neither felt particularly threatened.

"B-Bakura?" Joey asked hesitantly. "Is dat really you?"

Bakura smirked, clearly enjoying the discomfort he inspired in most of his audience. "Of course it's me, you fool."

"You're a liar. You're not really Bakura," Tristan declared, shoving his way through the crowd. "I tossed that evil ring into the woods on Duelist Kingdom. How the hell did you get it back?"

"It's too complicated for a simpleton like you to understand," Bakura said, shrugging. "The power inside my millenium item is far more powerful than your pathetic toss."

Ignoring Bakura's taunting, Tristan said, "It doesn't really matter how you got it back, because I'm going to destroy it for real now." He grabbed Bakura roughly by his sweater collar, ripped the ring from his neck, and tossed it into the slowly spreading inferno behind him.

When Tristan turned back to make sure Bakura had returned to his old self, he let out a startled yelp at the sight of the ring materializing. "As amusing as it would be to continue confusing you, that isn't why I'm here," Bakura sneered.

"And why exactly are you here?" Yami demanded.

"Save that accusatory glare for another time," Bakura teased. "You needn't worry about my intentions...this time. I simply came to help when I sensed that the millenium puzzle was in danger."

"You expect us to believe dat?" Joey asked doubtfully.

Bakura walked further into the room and stood dangerously close to the blazing arena. "Given the current state of your attempts to retrieve it," he said, gesturing to the destruction around them, "I'd say you need all the help you can get."

After pleading his case, Bakura decided to follow up with some action. He knew that the puzzle was no longer around Yami's neck, and it wasn't hard to deduce who had taken it. His lips curled into a twisted grin when he saw the golden pieces gleaming in Mr. Clown's pocket.

Turning his attention to the culprit, Bakura said, "I firmly suggest that you return those puzzle pieces to their rightful owner. You haven't the slightest idea of what you're dealing with."

Mr. Clown laughed bitterly as he ripped the mask off and revealed his withered face. "You think I don't know what I'm dealing with?!" he asked, enraged. "Ancient Egyptian magic is what ruined my life!"

"And yet you continue toying with the darkness," Bakura observed, realizing that he wouldn't get any further with such an ignorant fool. _Guess it's best to focus on the spineless son_.

Before Bakura could shift the focus, Mr. Clown conveniently shifted it for him. He grabbed Duke's vest and tugged him closer as though he were presenting him to Bakura. "Not that I have to justify my reasons to some high school nut job, but things are going to be different this time around. My son is a master gamer and he will be able to rebuild this puzzle with ease."

Bakura cocked a disbelieving brow and stared at Duke, who glared back at him, though there was hardly any real negative sentiment behind it. Bakura was sure that Duke would concede with just a few more heavy-handed warnings. "And what exactly do you think will happen when you solve that puzzle, Duke?" Bakura questioned. "Do you think this whole hellish encounter will disappear from memory and the world will just accept you as 'king of games,' despite losing to the current king?"

Duke craned his neck so he could see around Bakura. Behind him, Dani was watching the exchange with a horrified expression. Her eyes were glistening with unshed tears. He could see that she was struggling to hold herself together and, to be honest, he knew _exactly_ how she felt. Duke didn't want to put his sister through any more pain at his expense; if solving the puzzle would put this all behind them and let them escape before the whole shop burned down, then that's what needed to be done. "I don't care about any gaming titles - not anymore," he said softly. "But you're right about one thing - I _do_ want this nightmare to be over. That's why I'm going to solve the puzzle."

"How can I make this any simpler for you? Solving the puzzle will do nothing but bring you harm. The puzzle was meant for Yugi and Yugi alone. Anyone else is simply unworthy, and the puzzle knows that. If you complete that puzzle, you'll be forever trapped in its labyrinth."

"Nothing can be worse than what I went through today," Duke said deflatedly.

* * *

Dani was listening to every word of the bizarre conversation taking place around her, yet she felt absent from the room. It was unlike her to stand on the sidelines when a conflict was taking place right in front of her, but there were two things that were different about this particular situation – she'd exhausted most of her energy trying to prevent Duke's dark downward spiral, and Bakura's evil alter-ego was giving her the creeps. In fact, she was thankful that he was focusing all his attention on her brother and father because she was sure she'd crumble if his piercing gaze landed on her.

To keep her mind more at ease, Dani glanced over at Kaiba, who was also silently watching things transpire with his usual stoic expression. She wondered what he was thinking – if he was planning on doing something to get Yugi's puzzle back or at least put out the fire that was engulfing his creation. Glancing at what was left of the panel board they worked on just a couple days ago, she remembered how fascinating it was to watch him work…and how nice it was to bond with him, even if it was just for a few minutes.

 _I can't reimburse you for the damage done to your equipment today, but I promise I'll find a way to repay you for all your help, Kaiba_ , she thought determinedly.

"What are you staring at?" Kaiba muttered, eyes darting over to her for a moment before looking back toward the others.

 _Shit_ , she thought, feeling her face burn in embarrassment. _Quick…think of an excuse!_ "I…uh…was wondering if you were able to get through to anyone at Kaiba Corp," she stammered.

He seemed to buy her excuse. "The sensors in the arena should've alerted my security team, but I have no way of knowing how close they are without my phone," he said, gesturing to the shattered pieces at his feet.

"Want to use my phone?" she suggested, holding it out for him to take.

"And what would I do with that?" he asked deprecatingly.

"Call that bitchy night-shift secretary at your front desk and have her give you an update," she suggested in a sickly sweet voice that even made her cringe a little.

He almost laughed at the thought of Dani choosing to complain about her negative first experience at Kaiba Corp instead of the many other things going wrong around her in this moment. "You can't call someone 'bitchy' for doing their job," he smirked. "My employees know that we don't entertain visitors after normal business hours."

"Then maybe you should lock the doors after 'normal business hours,'" she shot back. "I wish I never went to your stupid office that day!"

He scoffed. "You don't mean that. Stop being dramatic."

" _Yes_ I do. The whole point of getting your help that day was to fix this arena," she said bitterly, nodding at the fire. "But that didn't prevent any of this from happening."

"That's not my fault," he said defensively.

"You're right," she admitted, "so why stick around? Why have you been by my side through this entire insane ordeal? You've done your part three times over now. You don't believe in whatever power Yugi's millenium puzzle possesses and you're not a Devlin, so why not just walk out that door right now?"

Kaiba's eyes widened for the briefest of seconds before he turned away from her and contemplated how he should respond. He wasn't even sure if he knew the answer himself...or maybe he just didn't want to admit it to himself. "Like your delusional father pointed out moments ago, I'm really the only one who can do anything to save the day, so if I leave now, I know that the Nerd Herd would never let me hear the end of it."

The answer was clearly not one that Dani wanted to hear, and she was surprised to find that the emotional blow had been rough enough to discourage her from continuing their heated banter altogether. As she turned away from him, she finally felt the tears fall down her cheeks.

Kaiba instantly regretted his words the moment she turned away from him. Normally, he would've just ignored the pang of guilt he felt and focused on more pressing issues...like how they'll put the fire out or if the game shop's insurance would cover this damage. But nothing seemed to be normal anymore - not since Dani Devlin came to Domino.

"Actually...that's probably the last reason why I'm still here," he said softly. "You want to know why I'm still here...why I've endured all of this migraine-inducing bullshit? I'm here because, somehow, this has become just as much my problem as it is yours. I'm not one to give up once I've started something - and this is something that I'm going to see through till the end with you."

They were both silently stunned by his response. Naturally, they each had their own explanations for the phenomenon – Kaiba tried to fool himself into blaming the heat from the fire, while Dani saw just a small spark of goodness inside him. She was about to tease him regarding this matter, but froze when she turned back around and saw that Bakura was walking toward them.

 _Is it just me or did the temperature drop twenty degrees in here_ , she wondered.

"I realize that I'm wasting my breath with the other members of your family, so perhaps I should talk to a more level-headed Devlin," he said, flashing what he intended to be a charming smile, but came across as more of a predatory grin. Kaiba scoffed at the notion of her being "level-headed," which prompted her to elbow him harshly in his ribs before stepping a little closer to Bakura.

"I've already heard your speech," she said disinterestedly. "What do you expect me to do? You think they'd listen to me? Believe me I've tried to be the voice of reason…"

He nodded in agreement. "You make an excellent point. After all, how many times did I have to sit there and listen to you and Yugi or you and Kaiba discuss your fruitless plans to save your brother?"

"You're really making me _not_ want to help you," she gritted out.

"Let me finish," he said, holding his hands up defensively. "Yes, it _was_ annoying to listen to your plotting, but at the same time I couldn't help but admire your fierce determination. Even though the odds were so plainly stacked against you, you kept fighting. I was impressed."

Dani wanted to appreciate the compliment, but then frowned when she realized that it was partially backhanded. Seeing his words as more negative than positive, she considered projecting all of her mounting frustrations and anger onto him, but stopped herself when she noticed that three people were missing. "Where did they go?" she murmured, glancing around the eerily lit arena for any sign of Yugi, Duke, and Mr. Clown.

* * *

Unlike the hot, smoky arena just on the other side of the wall, Mr. Clown's hidden room was fireproof and air conditioned. Yami took in his surroundings, hoping to figure out the insane clown's next game before he could announce it. His gaze soon landed on the puzzle pieces in Mr. Clown's grimy hands. Yami's fingers balled in fists as he wondered what Yugi was going through, trapped in the endless halls of the puzzle. He needed to put an end to this demented game and get Yugi back into his own body.

"Explain yourself," he demanded. "What twisted game do you have planned now?"

Mr. Clown snickered as he dropped the puzzle pieces on the table and split them into two piles. "It's quite simple really. Whoever completes the largest amount of the puzzle in the next five minutes will be given the other pieces."

"And what happens to the loser?" Duke asked, knowing that none of his father's games were without consequence.

"I'm glad you asked, son," he giggled, pointing at two large saws suspended from the ceiling. "The loser will be ripped to shreds!"

"Your father is insane - surely you can admit that?" Yami asked.

"That may be true, but he won't stop until we complete this game," he said solemnly, choosing a seat on the left side of the table.

Duke's decision to play didn't leave Yami much of a choice as he begrudgingly took the seat on the other side of the table. He stared at the golden pieces that once contained his soul for thousands of years...the pieces that now contained Yugi's soul. As someone who was inherently a skilled gamer, Yami should be able to solve the puzzle - but he'd never done it before. It was Yugi who put it together a couple months ago. His fingers trembled as he reached for some pieces and tried to fit them together. The drilling sound of the overhead saw did little to motivate him...it paled in comparison to the thought of never seeing Yugi again. _That_ was what raised the stakes for him.

Similarly, Duke felt motivated by something other than the threat of being cut in half. He was doing this for Dani, and losing _again_ wasn't an option. Both of them were working nimbly as they tested the different pieces out. After a full minute had passed, it was obvious that Yami had a substantial lead over Duke, which Mr. Clown was quick to notice. He slammed his fists on the table and shouted, "What else do I have to do to motivate you, boy?! I thought that deleting Pegasus's emails from your computer would be enough to fuel your rage, but clearly I was mistaken."

Duke felt numb as his father's words registered in his mind. The jumbled pieces he'd been holding fell from his hands. "What did you say?" he said lowly.

Mr. Clown snickered cruelly. "Didn't you find it odd that he never responded to you after being _so_ interested in your game when you met in person? Of course he responded, but I knew if you saw that you'd only care about producing Dungeon Dice Monsters, and I needed you focused on more important things."

"You think using your son as a pawn in a revenge scheme was more important than him producing a game of his own creation? How can you live with yourself?" Yami asked, disgusted.

"That is hardly enough to make my life miserable," Mr. Clown spat. "For years I've had to live with this horribly disfigured face. Revenge is the only thing that gives my life meaning."

"You're so blind to all the other things that have. You have a family...this game shop...but because you refuse to let go of your mistakes you can't even appreciate what you have."

Mr. Clown rolled his eyes. He didn't make this whole elaborate scheme to be chastised by a pipsqueak high schooler. "I won't be satisfied until I see that puzzle ripped away from you."

"Then maybe you should take my seat," Duke said, shoving his pile of puzzle pieces away. "Because I'm done. I'm done with your delusional schemes...and I'm done turning my back on my family...on Mom and Dani."

" _Dani_ ," he spat. "Maybe I should've dragged her in here, too. Then whenever you felt tempted to stop playing the game, something horrible would happen to her."

An enraged growl rumbled in Duke's throat as he balled his fists tightly together and went to stand up, despite the risk of putting himself closer to the descending saw. He was about to swing a punch at his delusional dad, but found that he couldn't move forward once something clamped around his ankles. Evidently, metallic cuffs had been attached to the legs of the chair. Mr. Clown snickered. "Not so fast sonny," he leered, waving a finger at him. "You're either going to see this through or end up in bloody shreds - that's entirely up to you!"

* * *

Panic filled the room when everyone realized that Yugi, Duke, and Mr. Clown had vanished, leaving them alone in a burning arena with their possessed friend.

"Uh guys...I think the fire is getting worse," Tea said, pointing nervously at the flames, which were rapidly climbing toward the ceiling. A couple overhead lights were starting to fall into the melted metal remains below. "Kaiba, why isn't anyone from your company here yet?"

"How should I know?" he said flatly. "My phone was destroyed, remember? Why don't one of you dweebs call for help?"

Despite his nonchalant response, Kaiba was perturbed that no one from Kaiba Corp had arrived...and that everyone always expected him to solve their problems. Not only was it completely unacceptable for none of his employees to have shown up yet, but it was also...impossible. While it was true that his phone broke before he could make the call, his arenas were equipped with special sensors that would alert the security team of any faulty equipment or emergency situations, such as a fire.

He glanced around to see who or what could be useful. Tea was on the phone with a 911 dispatcher, which was good but too little too late. At the rate the metal was melting, their only exit would be resealed in a short amount of time. With Duke unavailable, Dani was the obvious next best person to consult, but she didn't seem to care about their impending fiery death.

Dani, who realized that the only other place the others could've gone was the hidden room behind the clown statue, was busy pounding on the wall, hoping to trigger some sort of switch that would open the door.

"What are you doing?" Kaiba asked, grabbing her arm before she could continue banging on the concrete statue. "We have more important issues to deal with right now."

Dani heard Kaiba's words. She heard the horrible crunching sound of metal bending. She could smell the thick clouds of smoke that were filling the room. But to her - the only thing that mattered was making sure that her brother was okay. "I have to get him and Yugi out of there," she cried. "You don't know what my father is capable of."

"I think I have a pretty good idea," he replied, stepping into the small space between her and the clown statue and placing his hands on her shoulders. "Let me worry about getting this door opened. I need you to find any kind of fire alarm or sprinkler system. There must be some sprinklers up in the ceiling, but for some reason they're not working."

She hopelessly stared up into the smoggy air and then returned her gaze to Kaiba, who was incredibly close to her right now. The coldness had left his cobalt-colored eyes as he stared down at her with borderline desperation. Having him step between her and her distressed attempts to save Duke seemed to clear her mind. "I know what to do," she said reassuringly, running off to a darkened corner on the other side of the arena.

* * *

 _One Week Ago_

 _When Dani first arrived in Domino, before her brother or father knew she was in town, she wandered the streets in search of Duke's new game shop. At first, she stumbled upon some smaller shops, but she knew they weren't the right ones. Duke wouldn't shut up about the game shop once construction had started earlier in the year. He emailed her some concept artwork, which indicated the store would be much larger than any of the ones she'd seen._

 _She continued wandering a few blocks further and saw a large, two-story building that seemed to better fit the description. A crane was parked in front of the building and was lowering some sort of logo or sign onto the building. Curious as to what it was, she sat on a nearby bench and watched. Her heart skipped a beat the moment she realized it was a_ clown. _Horrible memories of her father started seeping into her mind...that night he came home from his big game...their mother refusing to look at him. She told him that until he fixed his appearance and got his act together, he wouldn't be allowed in their house. A week later he returned, unannounced, with a bag from a party store. He believed that wearing the clown mask would appease their mother, but it only made things worse._

 _Although the sign disturbed her, she knew that she needed to get inside the shop. It was obvious that she couldn't live at home with that monster, so she'd need to find out if the game shop could be her safe haven. She called Duke later that day and told him that she'd moved back to Domino and, instead of answering his barrage of questions, shifted the focus to his game shop. Duke was quick to offer her a tour, exactly according to her plan._

 _While he excitedly showed her what would be the sales floor, currently nothing more than a massive room of empty shelves and empty displays, Dani found herself wondering where the new items would be kept...because a storage room would be a great place to sleep. When he proceeded to show her one of the arenas, which was being installed as they did their tour, Dani looked for spots under the bleachers or small rooms where she could keep her things. He was about to leave and continue onward to the offices on the second floor, but she stopped him and pointed to a small, dark room tucked behind the bleachers. "Wait, what's that room?" she asked, managing to sound unsuspiciously interested._

 _Duke laughed. "Well there's not much to show you now, but eventually that's just going to be the lights, sound, and security booth. We'll have someone in each of the arenas monitor that room. I want any duels or DDM games played here to be epic, so we can do music, we can have spotlights, and it'll all be recorded if the players want a copy to take home. And then for safety measures, of course, we have controls to shut down holographic projections and other emergency features."_

" _That sounds pretty sweet," Dani said, nodding. "Now, why don't we check out the stockroom? I bet you have tons of cool stuff in there."_

" _Yeah, but it's all in boxes. That's boring...come check out_ my _office!" he said, grabbing her hand as he led her to the stairs. Seeing how excited he was, she couldn't bring herself to deter him again. Dani was sure that such a large building would definitely have a nice little corner for her to hide in._

* * *

Dani blinked away more tears as the memory played in her mind. _How could things have changed so drastically in just a week?_ She wondered. As much as she would've enjoyed dwelling in the past, she knew that that's not why that memory crossed her mind. She remembered Duke talking about each arena having a 'lights, sound, and _security_ ' booth, which probably had manual controls for the sprinklers.

Without wasting any more time, Dani sprinted for the room that was tucked in a corner still relatively unaffected by the fire. Once inside, her eyes scanned the multitude of buttons and switches that lined the massive panel. Figuring it couldn't do any more damage than what was already happening, she decided to just start pressing buttons since none of them had been labeled yet. One button caused a loud distorted applause sound to play out of the melted speakers. Another made what was left of the lights dim and brighten.

Finally, after it felt like she hit every other button, she seemed to find the one that turned on the sprinklers. Joey, Tea, and Tristan let out a cheer as the water started streaming out of the overhead sprinklers. _Alright Kaiba, I did what you asked me to do...now it's your turn. Figure out how to open that damn door._

* * *

Kaiba paused his fruitless efforts when he felt drops of water falling from the ceiling. He glanced up and smiled ever so slightly, realizing that Dani was able to figure out where the manual controls were. He would probably never admit it to her, but she was surprisingly resourceful and clever...when she wasn't being annoying. At the same time, he was also frustrated that she was able to successfully complete her task before he could finish his. The frustration was becoming so strong that he felt the urge to hit the wall and see if that would work, but he knew better than that. Dani's prior pounding indicated that the door didn't open in such a physical way, which meant he needed to use his intellect.

Closing his eyes, Kaiba tried to visualize every time the door opened, which proved to be a difficult task because both times it opened, he hadn't been paying attention to that part of the arena. His best bet would be to focus on the second time - he was looking in that general direction, but his focus was mostly on Bakura. It was possible that the door was remote controlled, but Kaiba recalled that the crazy clown never had anything in his hands. The only remaining option would be somewhere on the floor - one of the tiles around the door. It only took two stomps for him to figure out which tile opened and closed the door.

With a satisfied smirk, he watched as the door spun open and revealed a rather horrifying sight. Yugi and Duke's legs were cuffed to chairs with large spinning saws descending upon them. This time, Kaiba noticed, the clown _was_ holding something - the remote that controlled the saws. Thinking quick, he crouched down and picked up some of the discarded dice that had fallen from Yugi's platform. Each die hit with stinging precision, which eventually caused Mr. Clown to drop the remote. It clattered across the floor and landed near Duke's chair. With the remote in reach, Duke ducked beneath the uncomfortably close saw and pressed the stop button. The searing sound of spinning saw blades ceased, prompting Duke to let out a relieved breath. Once he was sure the blades had stopped, he clicked the other button on the remote, which unclasped their ankle cuffs.

Dani had joined the others just after the door opened. Any feeling of joy she'd felt immediately shifted to terror when she saw that Duke and Yugi were about to be sawed in half over some stupid puzzle. "You know," she said, laughing bitterly. "I used to joke about you being crazy, but now I see that it's 100 percent true. Look at what you're doing! Look at what you did." She gestured at the crispy arena. "You not only risked your own son's life but you put everyone in this building in danger. All because you're still bitter about a game that you lost and had to pay the consequence for. It's pathetic."

"Man I can't wait to see da cops lock this guy up," Joey said.

"I think I have a better...solution," Bakura interjected, speaking up for the first time in a while.

"Someone get this creepshow outta here," Joey muttered. "He's almost scarier than da clown."

"Hang on," Dani said thoughtfully. "I think we should hear him out." She wasn't entirely sure why, but she was curious as to what Bakura had in mind. Besides, after all the torment Mr. Clown put his family through, he deserved something a little worse than jail time.

Bakura gave her a grateful grin before explaining himself. "Although many of you may disagree with my use of the Millenium Ring's power," he said, dangling it teasingly from his finger. "I think you'll find that that power is _exactly_ what we need right now. This man has done many heinous things, but I can make it so that he will never be able to do such crimes again."

"How?" Tea asked nervously.

His grin stretched from ear to ear. "By banishing the dark parts of his soul to the Shadow Realm."

Kaiba scoffed and turned to Dani. "You can't actually be considering this nonsense?"

Before Dani could answer one way or the other, Bakura cut her off. "Rather ironic to hear you of all people calling this nonsense when the same thing was done to _you_ after your first duel with Yugi."

 _Wait...what?!_ Dani thought.

Yami, who wasn't at all surprised by Bakura's suggested course of action, gave Bakura a hardened look before addressing Kaiba. "You know it's true, Kaiba. After our first duel, I took the darkness out of your soul. Pegasus had actually rescued that monster from the Shadow Realm during his tournament...you remember, when someone was using your deck to impersonate you?"

"Wasn't that guy an evil clown too?" Tristan muttered thoughtfully. "I'm sensing a pattern!"

Seeing Kaiba's annoyed, yet slightly traumatized expression, Yami decided it best to shift the focus away from him before he went off on one of his tangents about how silly all of this was. "Duke, Dani, it's your decision...you have to decide what happens next."

"I...don't mean to rush you guys but...," Joey said awkwardly, "HE'S GETTING AWAY!" Everyone turned around to find Mr. Clown slinking toward the exit.

"Do it," Dani said without another moment's thought. " _Now_."

Bakura didn't wait for Duke to agree or disagree with his twin sister. There was an indisputable affirmation in her tone that no one in the room could question. Besides, her asking for this to happen was _exactly_ what Bakura wanted her to do. As soon as he held out his hands and declared that the spirit be banished to the shadows, Mr. Clown dropped to the ground, screaming and writhing in pain.

Everyone seemed to cringe at the screams...everyone except Dani. She was enjoying every second of her father's misery. In fact, she considered asking Bakura to banish her father's entire soul to the Shadow Realm. She didn't believe that that man's evil could be separated from his soul. His entire being was evil.

After a few more seconds of agonizing soul separation, Mr. Clown fell silent. The dark purple waves that had flown out of Bakura's millenium item returned to their source, taking a large chunk of Mr. Clown's soul with them.

* * *

As soon as Mr. Clown was out of the picture, things got resolved rather quickly. The fire department finished extinguishing the flames. The police showed up to get a statement from Duke. An ambulance took an unconscious Mr. Clown to the hospital. The only thing left to do was put Yugi's broken puzzle back together.

Yami, who had distanced himself from the group once he saw that the mind crush was a success, was scrambling to get the puzzle back together. When everyone saw how desperate he was, they worked as a team to put it together. Yami, Kaiba, and Duke were able to complete the biggest chunks of the puzzle, but it was a communal effort. Dani was pleased to see that she was able to connect five pieces together, but when she went to reach for the missing middle piece, she saw that the table was empty. She was about to ask if anyone saw one last piece, but Bakura stepped in front of her and held up the piece, which almost seemed to be glowing, for her to take.

"Thanks…" she replied, hesitantly, wondering why he was just holding that one piece and not working on a chunk like everyone else. Regardless of the weirdness, it was in fact the piece that she needed. After she clicked it into place, everyone handed their chunks to Yami, who gratefully accepted them and finished the puzzle.

"Thank you for your assistance," he said softly, before placing the placing the puzzle around his neck. A blinding golden light spilled out of the eye in the center of the puzzle. When the light faded, everyone noticed the change in Yugi's appearance. The spirit retreated back into the puzzle.

"Yug!" Joey cheered. "You're back!"

"What did I miss?" Yugi asked, looking around at the steaming remains of the arena.

Joey waved his hand dismissively. "Nothin' special. Why don't we go get some pizza and we can fill ya in?"

"That sounds amazing," Tristan agreed, as his stomach growled loudly.

Duke, who would've killed for a slice of pizza, stood awkwardly by the burnt arena. "You guys go ahead," he said hesitantly. "It's probably gonna take me all night to clean this mess up...so I better get started now."

Joey and Tristan were more than willing to walk out the door, but Tea, grabbed them both by their jacket collars and dragged them back into the arena. "I'm sure we can just order a pizza and help you clean up till it gets here," she suggested.

Yugi nodded approvingly. "I think that's a great idea."

Duke was stunned. He couldn't believe that after everything he put Yugi and his friends through, they were still willing to stick around and not only include him in their plans, but also offer to help clean up the arena. "Thanks, guys," he stammered.

"Count me out," Kaiba said coldly. "I think you geeks have taken up enough of my time for today."

"No one made you stay, rich boy," Joey muttered.

"For once you're actually right about something, Wheeler," Kaiba smirked. "I chose to stay, and now I'm choosing to leave."

Dani felt conflicted as she watched him leave without a single glance in her direction. She wanted to demand that he stay...or at least that he said goodbye to her. But she also didn't want to make a scene in front of everyone. _To hell with it_ , she thought determinedly, _there's already rumors swirling about our non-existent romance, so what do I have to lose at this point?_

Just before his tall silhouette was out of sight, she said, "I'll be right back." She meant for it to sound casual, but instead it came out in a breathy statement as she all but chased after him.

Evidently, his strides were much larger than hers - by the time she reached the end of the hallway, he was already halfway to the store's main entrance. "KAIBA!" she called out. With the crowd thinning out, she was almost positive that he heard her, but was choosing to ignore her, which only increased her irritation. After a few sprints, she managed to catch up to him and block his path before he could leave.

"I think we've spent enough time together, wouldn't you say?" he asked in a faux polite tone before trying to side-step her.

"I couldn't agree more," she replied mimicking his tone.

He rolled his eyes. "Then why are you preventing me from leaving? Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day...for both of us...and I'd like to get some work done before the sun sets."

Dani was going to explain _why_ she stopped him, but instead, she frowned in confusion. "What do you mean...how will tomorrow be busy for both of us?"

"Don't tell me that you've forgotten about our little arrangement? You'll be coming straight to my office after school tomorrow to start your new job," he smirked.

Dani felt her blood boil as she turned away from his obnoxiously conceited expression. "I didn't forget," she lied. "I was just a little preoccupied with the life-or-death situation we all just experienced. Oh, and I hardly think being your 'assistant' qualifies as a busy day."

He leaned down and laughed in her face. "Then you really have no idea who you're dealing with."

* * *

Duke was the first notice Dani's displeased expression as she returned to the arena. He slung an arm around her shoulders and tried to lighten the mood. "Things didn't go as planned with loverboy?" he teased.

Dani rolled her eyes and ducked out of his embrace. "First of all, he's not my 'loverboy,'" she said defensively. "And nothing was planned...I just wanted to say goodbye and thank him for all he did to help." She knew that if she wanted Duke to drop the subject, she should've just maintained that lie, but a sarcastic tone slipped out toward the end that undoubtedly blew her cover.

"Okay so your _romantic_ goodbye didn't go as planned?" Duke rephrased. "Guess it wasn't meant to be."

"Please stop talking," she said exasperatedly. Before Duke could continue teasing her about her feelings for Kaiba, Joey announced that the pizza had arrived. Dani had never felt so excited to see a stack of pizza boxes.

"I think we've all spent enough time in this arena for the day," Duke said, laughing awkwardly. "Let's take the pizza upstairs. There's a conference room we can use."

Somehow, all the animosity and chaos from the previous hours faded away as everyone chowed down and shared funny stories. Even if the mood had lightened, he was sure that everyone was still traumatized from the whole ordeal. Duke knew that sooner or later he would have to man up and apologize.

"Guys...I...I know it's getting late, and I'm sure you all want to go home, but I just want to say something before you leave," Duke said, standing up at the head of the table. "After what I put all of you through today, I'm not sure how you'd ever forgive me, but I want you to know that I'm sorry. I'm not some heartless monster...and I think I'm learning to accept defeat...after all these years of being forced to only accept victory."

"Good, cause next time we duel, you're goin' down, Dice Boy," Joey said, only half jokingly, causing everyone to erupt into a chorus of laughter.

As nice as it was to witness the happy ending to what had otherwise been a horrible day, Dani couldn't quite bring herself to feel as cheerful as she looked. She was more preoccupied with wondering where she was going to sleep tonight. The game shop clearly wouldn't be an option, since the place was still probably crawling with investigating cops. Glancing at her empty inbox, she considered messaging Kaiba, but decided that that would be too humiliating. She wanted to show him that she didn't need his assistance to get by each day.

"Well," she said, faking a yawn, "guess I better get going…"

She said her goodbyes to Yugi, Tea, Tristan, and Joey and simply nodded at her brother before slipping out the door. She knew that if she said anything to Duke he would immediately question where she was going, and she wouldn't really have an answer for him.

She made it all the way down to the massive shop entrance before Duke caught up with her. "Dani!" he shouted, grabbing her arm. "Where are you going?"

She shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. "I'm not sure to be honest. Can't stay here, can't go home. I'll probably just break into the school and sleep in the student lounge."

"And get another day of detention?" he smirked.

"At least this time it won't be because my brother ratted me out," she shot back.

"Hey! I was concerned. Next time I'll just not get involved with your mysterious disappearances. Or maybe I'll just give Kaiba a call, since nine out of ten times, that's who you're with."

"That's a low blow," she said, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Can it really be considered a 'low blow' if it's the truth?" he pondered. When she clearly wasn't interested in continuing this conversation, Duke abandoned the jokes and stood in front of her. "Look, I know I gave my big, generic apology up there, but I still have one more apology to give, and that's to you. I'm sorry that I didn't listen to you when you tried to warn me about all this. I'm sorry that I said all those terrible things to you…," he trailed off, laughing softly. "You know, every day after you and Mom left, I hoped that you would come back. It was all I wanted. And then it finally happened, and instead of celebrating your return, I treat you like shit."

"Apology accepted," Dani replied, blinking away a few tears. "I know that you weren't being yourself, and I'm not going to hold any of this against you. You're still my brother, and I still love you, but I need to go. I have to find a place to crash."

Duke shook his head. "No, you don't need to find a place to crash because you're coming with me." Dani tried to protest, but he cut her off. "Dad is at the hospital. It'll just be us at the house. I know it's not a long term solution, but we can figure it out."

"Okay, fine," she said begrudgingly. "But just for tonight."

Relieved that she agreed with him, he grinned and pulled her into a tight hug. "I promise that nothing will ever hurt you again, Dani. Not while I'm around."

Dani believed Duke's heartfelt words, but, as she would soon find out, there were some things that even a brother with the best intentions couldn't protect her from.

* * *

 **A/N:** And with that, the DDM portion of this story comes to end. Now it's time for Battle City!

The tension between Dani and Kaiba is going to get much...hotter once they start spending all that time together at Kaiba Corp ;)

Thank you to everyone who continues reading the story :) I've got some crazy things planned for the next few chapters, so stay tuned for more updates!

Also, I got a pretty amazing Blue Eyes White Dragon tattoo recently...check it out on my Instagram page: undeadqueen26


	15. The Tormentor

Frozen by Your Side

By: Darkest Ember

Chapter 15: The Tormentor

* * *

 **Summary:** Dani Devlin is Duke Devlin's estranged twin sister. When they were younger, their father had asked a local game shop owner, Solomon Muto, to teach him to be a game master. They end up playing a dangerous game that ages their father 50 years in one night. From that moment on, he becomes obsessed with vengeance and plans to use Duke as a means to that revenge. Unable to save them both, their mother escapes with Dani and moves to America. A few years later, Dani starts to see the negative changes in her brother and decides to move back to Domino during her junior year of high school to save him. There, she meets Yugi and the gang, who all share her love for Duel Monsters. She hopes that they can also help Duke return to his old self. And then there's Seto Kaiba. Dani doesn't exactly get off on the right foot with him, but perhaps he is the one who can change _her_ for the better.

The story begins sometime between the Duelist Kingdom and Dungeon Dice Monster arcs and will go through Battle City. Inspired by the manga storyline that shows "Mr. Clown" (Duke's dad) as the reason why Duke challenges Yugi.

Some chapters will start with a foreshadowing segment of Dani and Kaiba's online chat...neither of them know the true identity of who they're talking to, but end up becoming friends online (picture something like A Cinderella Story with Hillary Duff and Chad Michael Murray).

 **Pairing:** Kaiba x OC

* * *

By the time the Devlin twins got home, it was already dark outside. The enveloping shadows and hardly functional street lights shrouded the house in just enough darkness to conceal the cracked windows, peeling paint, and overflowing trash cans. In this perfectly concealing light, the house looked just like Dani remembered it. In fact, it looked so familiar that it almost felt as though she never left.

That all changed the moment they stepped inside. Beer cans littered the living room floor. Moldy dishes filled the kitchen sink. The hardwood floor was scraped and scuffed. Dirty laundry was draped over the staircase banister. _This can't be the house I grew up in_ , Dani said, watching in horror as Duke moved through the house as though nothing were wrong.

"Why are you just standing in the doorway?" Duke asked. "Come on, we can build a fort in the living room, just like old times!"

"I don't think there's enough room in here to build a fort...unless we make it out of beer cans," Dani said, cringing as a can crunched beneath her foot.

Duke let out a high-pitched, humiliated laugh as he followed her into the room and realized that all the trash made for unideal fort-building conditions. "Guess we really let this place go…" he commented. "But I won't let that ruin our plans!"

He ran into the kitchen and came back with a couple trash bags and handed one to Dani. "I know this is probably the last thing you want to do right now, but why don't we clean this place up so we can have a legit sleepover?"

Dani groaned, holding the black bag in hand. "Fine," she eventually agreed. "But I get to pick what movie we watch before bed."

Duke, who did not share Dani's affinity for horror flicks, groaned in protest, but knew he had no choice but to accept. He didn't care if he got any sleep tonight; he just wanted to start making things right with her.

As was usually the case with the Devlins, they managed to turn something as dismal as cleaning up their dad's mess into a competition. They raced around the room, scooping up armfuls of beer cans and pizza boxes in an attempt to be the first to fill their trash bag. When Dani saw that Duke had a slight lead over her, she grabbed one of the TV remotes and chucked it at him in an attempt to deter his progress. "Hey that's cheating!" he shouted.

"Do something about it," she taunted, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Ok," he grinned. "First one to get their bag into the trash can outside is the winner!" In an instant, he bolted for the back door with his full bag in hand.

"Now who's cheating?" she cried, scrambling after him. "I haven't lived here in years!"

"You should still know your way to the backyard!" he called back.

The moment she heard his bag drop into the aluminum trash can, she angrily tossed her bag aside and retreated to the now somewhat functional living room to select a movie. As the movie played, the twins grabbed any sheets and blankets they could find upstairs and constructed a rather impressive blanket fort.

For the remainder of the movie, Duke clutched a pillow and acted like he wasn't terrified, while Dani excitedly sat at the edge of the fort. Just as the final kill scene was about to happen, Duke reached for the remote and turned the TV off. "What the hell?!" Dani shouted, turning around and glaring at him. "The movie was almost over, Duke - you couldn't wait ten more minutes?"

"Nope," he smirked. "In all honesty, this really couldn't wait. To keep my mind off that crap that you call a 'good movie,' I was thinking about the shop and how our living arrangements are going to work. I have a proposition."

"That's great, but I really want to see the end of the movie," she said, leaping for the remote, which Duke scooped up just before she could reach it.

"I'm being serious," he said, solemnly.

"You're such a buzzkill," she muttered. "Alright, let's hear this proposition."

"I want you to become a co-owner of the shop. Dad may have been the one to pay for its construction, but I can't have him associated with it anymore...it would be bad for business. I know how much you like writing and design, so I was thinking you could lead our marketing department?"

"Are you serious?" she asked. "OF COURSE I WILL!" Suddenly the unforgivable action of stopping the movie before it ended was a thing of the past as Dani's mind starting thinking of all the different possibilities this could offer her. After all, how many high school students can say that they managed a business?

 _Oh shit...speaking of highschool-aged business owners...am I going to be able to pull this off while also working at Kaiba Corp?_ She wondered. _I'm pretty sure Kaiba said he would only need me to work with him until his tournament gets started, which means that I'll just have to balance both jobs for a week and then it'll be full-time management gig for me._

"I'm glad you said yes, because if you didn't this next part would be a little awkward…," he grinned. "I was emailing the contractors earlier tonight asking how soon they could repair the arena, and I decided to add an extra project to their list: converting some of the empty space upstairs into a two-bedroom apartment for us!"

Even though they both knew it would take some time for such massive construction to be completed, they both saw the apartment as something positive to move toward. Duke would be able to escape the shadow of his father, and Dani would have a secure space to sleep. "That's amazing, Duke!" she exclaimed.

As the lights dimmed and the two settled in their sleeping bags, Dani smiled in the darkness. _Things are finally looking up for us._

* * *

Expecting people to have an adverse reaction to last night's events, Duke and Dani remained nervously seated in Duke's car as they watched swarms of students enter the school. Dani took a swig of coffee and sighed. "We can't just sit in the car all day."

"You're right," Duke replied, turning off the ignition. "Besides it doesn't matter what any of them think...I made my peace with you and Yugi and that's all I care about."

The moment the twins walked through the front door, everyone stopped what they were doing and ran toward them. "There he is!" someone excitedly shouted.

"Sign my dice, Duke!" a kid exclaimed.

"He emerged from that fire without a single burn," one of the girls gushed.

"I was there too!" Dani shouted resentfully. She was semi-hoping to become popular by association, but it was obvious that people only cared about Duke. _How ironic,_ she thought. _We were so afraid that everyone was going to hate him, but if anything even_ more _people seem to be vying for his attention now._

The wave of enamoured students pulled Duke away from her, and he made very little attempts to resist as he casually waved at her over his shoulder and turned the corner. "Fine, I don't need you anyway!" she shouted, a little louder than intended.

"Ehh...don't need who? There ain't nobody around," Joey observed, confused.

Dani cringed, turning around to see Joey standing behind her. "Uh...sorry, Joey. I didn't think anyone else would hear that," she said, laughing nervously. "Duke just left me here on my own."

"Forget about it," he replied in his heavy New York accent, slinging an arm over her shoulder as they walked into homeroom together. "Ya got Joey Wheeler to keep ya company now!"

While Yugi was quick to greet them when they sat in their seats, Kaiba barely even glanced up from his laptop when Dani sat in front of him. Refusing to let someone else ruin her morning, Dani decided to be playfully assertive in her approach with him. She slowly pushed his screen down until he was forced to acknowledge her. She watched with increasing amusement as he struggled to maintain his indifferent expression.

"What...do...you...want?" he gritted out. To prevent her from closing his screen completely, he reached out and roughly grabbed her hand before tossing it aside.

Dani shrugged. "For starters, you could stop pretending like we're not friends. It's really annoying."

"Who said I was pretending?" he smirked, re-opening his laptop.

"You're the worst," she muttered, turning around and crossing her arms over her chest with an annoyed huff.

"And yet you continue talking to me, which means it must not be _that_ annoying to you." When she refused to respond to him, he rolled his eyes and decided to be the bigger person. "Aren't you curious about my new tournament?" he asked, maturely shifting into an actual conversation.

 _Obviously...but I'm not going to tell you that_ , she thought stubbornly. Before she could respond, Joey butted into the conversation. "New tournament?" he exclaimed, leaning across his desk. "Count me in!"

"You must've suffered some severe brain damage from all that smoke last night if you think I'd ever let you enter my tournament," Kaiba sneered.

Joey scoffed. "Ya can't stop me from signin' up. Besides I bet I'd be better dan half da chumps dat enter."

"This is going to be unlike anything you've ever seen before, Wheeler. Stationary arenas are obsolete. My tournament is going to played exclusively on my new duel disks."

"Hopefully they ain't the same duel disks that caused Dani's injuries," Joey commented.

Kaiba and Dani locked eyes. She couldn't tell if he looked mad or hurt that she had revealed that detail to someone else. Dani, feeling a sudden rush of guilt, quickly said, "That was just a fluke...the duel disks are meant to be used in wide open spaces, but when Kaiba and I dueled, it was indoors, which amplified the attacks."

"Maybe so, but if I get a single scratch from ya lousy duel disk, I'll sue ya!" Joey said, snickering.

"For that to happen you would first have to be able to buy a duel disk. And something tells me the price is going to be out of your reach," Kaiba replied coolly.

"That's harsh, Kaiba," Yugi said.

"Sometimes the truth can be harsh," he replied nonchalantly, returning his focus to his laptop.

* * *

Dani knew that once Yugi heard about Kaiba's new tournament, even if most of the conversation involved bashing Joey, she wouldn't be able to get his attention, so she decided to wait until lunchtime to talk to him. The whole ordeal in the arena felt like it lasted forever, yet once they all escaped, time seemed to fly, and Dani completely missed her opportunity to thank Yugi for his help.

By some miracle, Yugi was sitting alone on the roof, which helped Dani feel a bit more at ease. Of course, she got along just fine with Yugi's friends, but she didn't really want them to be around when she was about to give what was sure to be some emotional speech.

"Hey, Yugi," she said, holding up her lunchbox. "Can I join you?"

Yugi grinned. "Of course!"

Dani sat down next to him and glanced out at the view from atop the school. "I never would've thought to come up here and eat," she murmured. "This is pretty cool."

"Not many people know about this place," he admitted. "But it's a nice break from the monotony of the cafeteria."

Dani was never really a fan of small talk, but she continued their casual conversation for a while before finally being able to address the real reason she wanted to eat with him.

"So…," she began awkwardly. "I never really got a chance to say thank you last night. I mean I know I wasn't able to prevent the match between you and Duke from happening, but I am thankful that you helped clear the darkness that was clouding his mind."

Now it was Yugi's turn to feel awkward. He fidgeted with the Millenium Puzzle for a few minutes before responding. "I feel like _I_ wasn't really that helpful," he said softly.

"Because the spirit took over?"

His wide violet eyes darted up at her in surprise. "How did you know?"

"Tea and Tristan kind of filled me in during your Dungeon Dice Monsters match. But I also noticed that something had changed in your appearance and demeanor as soon as you stood up to Duke."

"It's bizarre isn't it? But ever since I completed this puzzle, I've shared a bond with the Ancient Egyptian spirit inside of it."

"It is pretty unusual," she agreed. "Why was his spirit trapped in there in the first place? Does he have a name or anything?"

Yugi shrugged with a saddened expression. "He doesn't remember anything. I can't explain it, but...I have a feeling that some of those questions might be answered during Kaiba's tournament."

Dani leapt to her feet suddenly and grinned at Yugi. "I want to help!" she exclaimed. "You and/or the spirit of the puzzle have done so much for me and family, the least I can do is help you figure out something about the spirit's past."

"Does that mean you're going to enter Kaiba's tournament, too?" he asked, sharing her excitement.

"Hell yeah," she grinned. "Hey, maybe we can hang out at your Grandpa's shop again and have a few practice duels? Those cards he gave me really helped me out in my duel with Kaiba, but I'm still learning how to strategize."

"For sure! Are you free tonight?"

Dani was about to say yes, but then remembered that she had to go straight to Kaiba Corp after school. _I didn't think that Kaiba's terms for that duel were that bad, but now...it's starting to feel like the worst thing in the world. I can't make plans with anyone...I haven't even told Duke about it yet...that pompous jerk is tormenting me without even intending to!_

"Sorry, I have to do a few things after work AH I mean _school_...after I finish my schoolwork," she stammered. "With my dad out of the picture for now, I've decided to go back home to stay with Duke so I need to move my stuff out of his stockroom."

"Okay, no problem" Yugi smiled, buying her excuse. "Maybe we can do something on the weekend?"

"That would be great," she replied, feeling relieved. _Well, I dodged one bullet today...hopefully I won't have to dodge any others,_ she thought.

* * *

In a desperate attempt to distract herself from the increasing stress she was feeling, Dani buried herself in her schoolwork after lunch. Instead of joking around with Joey, like she usually did in science class, she focused solely on taking notes. Between classes, she found herself slinking between students to avoid running into Kaiba or Duke before the day was done. Naturally, it was as if Kaiba _knew_ that she was trying to avoid him. He leaned up against the lockers as Dani grabbed some books and nearly caused her to scream when she closed the door and saw him unexpectedly standing there.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" she asked, glaring at him as he resisted the urge to laugh at her still-semi-terrified expression.

"If you're this easily stressed, then you're gonna be in big trouble once you get to Kaiba Corp," he smirked.

She angrily tried to walk around him, but he stepped into her path. "Our deal was that I would work for you after school, not during. So could you please refrain from constantly telling me how hard you think this is going to be for me?" she muttered.

Kaiba frowned, realizing that something else must've been bothering her. Softening his tone and walking alongside her, he explained, "I just want you to know what you're getting into."

"Thanks for the... _kind_ words, boss," she said, forcing a smile before dashing down the hall. It was evident that he didn't understand what was wrong, and she didn't feel like explaining it to him, so running away was the best that she could do.

Unfortunately, Duke bitterly witnessed a majority of their exchange from a distance and decided to confront her about it before their next class started. "What's going on with you and Kaiba?" he asked.

Dani rolled her eyes. "For the hundredth time, Duke, nothing is going on. He's a friend. End of story."

"That's not what I meant. I saw you two talking in the hall-."

"What a scandal!" she interrupted, hoping he'd drop it.

"Was he bothering you? Because that's what it looked like," he said defensively.

"His whole existence bothers me," she muttered to herself. "But it was fine...we were just talking about this new project-."

This time, Duke cut her off. "I don't need to know what you were talking about. I just want to make sure you're okay," he said, sounding like a stereotypical overly protective brother.

"I'm fine," she replied, feeling anything _but_ fine.

* * *

The remainder of the day passed by at an annoyingly sluggish rate, but by some miracle, Dani managed to not only survive her encounters with Duke and Kaiba, but also slipped out of the building before either one could find her. _I don't even care if I have to run all the way to that eyesore of a building, at least I won't have to deal with either one of them asking me questions that I don't want to answer right now_ , she thought, which fueled her as she ran down the Domino streets.

Once she arrived at Kaiba Corp, she sat on a nearby bench and caught her breath. Assuming that Kaiba wasn't there yet, she took the little bit of free time she had and texted Duke: Hey, bro I needed to run some errands after school, so I'll catch a ride home later.

Much to her dismay, he responded almost instantaneously: ...okay. Actually do you think you can swing by the shop when you're done? I wanna go over some ideas with you.

Dani figured that Kaiba couldn't expect her to spend more than a few hours working at his office, so she told Duke she'd meet up with him at 6. With that taken care of, she decided to go inside and wait for Kaiba in the air conditioning. She regretted that decision when she saw the snotty secretary from the other day at the front desk. "This should be interesting," she muttered to herself as she approached the desk.

"I thought I told you to not bother coming here without an appointment," the secretary said, not bothering to look up from her cell phone.

"Well, turns out I didn't need an appointment last time, and I actually don't need one this time because I'm not some client, I'm an employee now," Dani replied, smirking.

"Is that so? Where is your ID badge?"

Before Dani could continue stumbling through some lame excuse, Roland came running around the corner with a pass in hand. "There won't be any need to continue this interrogation," Roland said sternly.

"But sir-," she protested.

"Miss Devlin is going to be working directly with Mr. Kaiba and she deserves the utmost respect, understood?"

She nodded, but it was obvious that she didn't agree. Regardless, Dani took great pleasure in the petty revenge. She tauntingly waved at her over her shoulder before getting into the elevator.

Roland led Dani to a set of oversized oak doors, which was a dead giveaway that they had reached their final destination - Seto Kaiba's office. "Again, my apologies for that terribly rude encounter at the front desk, Miss Devlin," he said, sounding genuinely embarrassed. "I hope the rest of your evening goes better than that."

"You and me both," she said softly before opening the double doors.

Assuming that she'd arrived there before Kaiba, Dani was eager to do a little preliminary research around his office. Her excitement quickly crumbled when she opened the doors and saw that not only was Kaiba already in the office, but he somehow also had the time to change out of his school uniform.

"How - what the - how did you beat me here?" she stammered. _I was one of the first students to make it out the door at the end of the day, and his limo definitely wasn't out front yet...unless...he left before school got out._

He continued typing on his computer as though she wasn't all but freaking out on the other side of his office. "Why do you sound so surprised? Didn't I tell you that I got to make my own schedule?" he smirked.

"That's not fair!" she protested. "You could've helped me get out of my last period, too. Then I would've beaten you here for sure."

Kaiba quickly finished what he was typing and then walked around his desk until he was standing in front of her. "You should probably get used to the fact that I can't be beaten in any form of competition."

"Unless Yugi is your challenger," she muttered, immediately regretting it as soon as he closed the space between them and backed her into the wall.

He laughed darkly. "Not anymore. With this tournament, I will regain my title and give Yugi the crushing defeat he deserves. And you're going to help me achieve that."

Dani scoffed and tried to push him away from her, but she might as well have been trying to move a brick wall. "I thought you don't ever need anyone else's help," she mocked, finding it difficult to ignore how toned his torso felt.

"Normally that would be an accurate statement, but I've decided to make an exception. Maybe if you didn't get worked up so easily, I wouldn't find it so amusing to create situations such as this."

"Better enjoy it while you can, because there won't be any more 'situations such as this,'" she said, ducking under his arm and stomping over to the desk.

"Then I suggest you don't make a wager the next time we duel," he sneered.

Dani snapped her head around with a smirk. "Or I'll just have to kick your ass next time."

"Didn't you hear a single word I said? I-."

"-don't lose," she said, cutting him off. "You can say that all you want, but that doesn't make it true."

"Whatever," he said, rolling his eyes. "This tournament will be all the proof I need. Now, let's get to work."

Realizing that they'd somehow already managed to waste half an hour with their bickering, Dani was more than willing to get started. Deep down, a part of her truly enjoyed that encounter they shared, and she would've gladly continued, but she had other things to worry about tonight. She had a limited window of availability and wasn't exactly sure how to tell Kaiba about that little detail. _All I have to do is find out what's on his agenda for today and finish it by 6_ , she thought, trying to reassure herself.

"And what exactly is 'work' for today?" she asked. "The only thing you've told me so far is how challenging this is going to be, remember?"

Kaiba chose to ignore her side comment. "I need you to sort through all these stores' orders for duel disks and compile the total order for each store into a spreadsheet. Then, make a list of stores that haven't ordered duel disks and I'll have someone call them while we're at school tomorrow."

Dani let out a subtle sigh of relief and took out her laptop. "That's it?" she foolishly asked. "I'll have that done in less than an hour."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Kaiba snickered, pushing a mountain of sales orders toward her.

"That's it... _right_?" she repeated in a more noticeably shrill tone.

"Of course not," Kaiba replied coolly. "That's only for 10 stores. At least 40 stores made orders."

"Piece of cake," she said nonchalantly, though began inwardly crying. Fearing that that crying might manifest externally, she racked her brain to think of something that could fill the silence. "Do you mind if I turn on the TV?" she asked, trying to sound casual. "The background noise helps me focus."

It was obvious that Kaiba didn't want to do it, yet he ultimately reached for the remote and turned the TV on. Naturally, he picked something dry - like the local news - but Dani was still thankful to be rid of the silence.

After about an hour of working, Dani was pleased to find that she cleared the first two piles and had moved on to the next. Her steady pace, however, was interrupted when a special news bulletin came on the screen. She glanced up to see what the big deal was.

"How is an Egyptian exhibit considered breaking news?" she wondered aloud.

"Who cares?" Kaiba muttered, not even bothering to look at the TV. Mere seconds after his dismissive utterance, Kaiba's phone rang loudly. He picked it up without looking at the caller ID.

"You really should care more about tonight's news broadcast, Seto Kaiba," a female voice said.

Kaiba's eyes widened. "Who the hell is this and how did you know what I was watching?"

Dani was trying very hard to not eavesdrop on his conversation, but it was already too bizarre to ignore. "Put it on speakerphone!" she whispered excitedly. Kaiba predictably disagreed by sternly shaking his head.

"My name is Ishizu Ishtar. Pay close attention to this next portion of the broadcast."

Confused as to where she could possibly be going with this, Kaiba glanced at the TV and turned up the volume. The woman on the screen - Ishizu Ishtar - stared directly into the camera and said, "I'd personally like to invite Seto Kaiba to a private showing of the exhibition tonight."

"You couldn't just say that over the phone?" he asked with an annoyed huff. "I'm not sure what you're trying to accomplish, but I'm hanging up now."

"I thought you of all people would want to be the first to hear of some new rare cards, but perhaps I was mistaken," she said.

Kaiba knew he only had a few seconds to make a decision - there was a high probability that this was just a hoax...a pathetic attempt to trick him into going to some pointless exhibit - but, if she was speaking the truth, then he couldn't pass up this opportunity. "I'll be at the museum in ten minutes. This better be worth my while," he declared.

Although the entire phone call lasted less than two minutes, it felt like forever as Dani awaited the details. Kaiba, however, didn't seem too keen to share anything about the bizarre conversation. He exited out of his programs on the computer and grabbed his metallic briefcase.

"You're going to the exhibit?" she asked, surprised. "Does this mean we're done for the day?"

"Nice try," he said, giving her a small smile. "I need you to finish compiling that list of sales orders. I won't be gone long."

Once she was sure that Kaiba wouldn't change his mind and come back, Dani decided to steal his seat since it looked considerably more comfortable than the one she'd been sitting in. "So what you're saying is, as soon as I finish these sales orders, I can go? Got it," she said to herself, smirking as she began working at a faster pace.

 _This is_ exactly _what I needed to happen today...now I'll be able to get out of here without making up an excuse and I'll get to the shop right on time without raising any suspicions with Duke._

* * *

As the limo approached the Domino City Museum, Kaiba wondered if he had made the right decision. He had so many other things he needed to be working on, which led him to doubt if this should've taken any sort of priority. Given the source, he was sure this meeting will involve some nonsensical Egyptian backstory that he would have zero interest in. If Ishizu hadn't mentioned the cards, Kaiba would've hung up immediately.

 _It was almost as if she_ knew _that that would've kept me on the line...and she timed it perfectly_ , he thought. _Wait...what the hell am I saying? It was the obvious thing to say to someone such as myself. Nothing more._

"Just stay here," Kaiba muttered to the driver as he exited the limo. "This won't take long."

A pair of security guards led Kaiba through the eerily silent museum. Most of the lights in the exhibit rooms were off, which made it very easy to determine when he'd reached his destination. Kaiba entered the fully lit room and rolled his eyes - it was exactly what he expected: a bunch of Egyptian tablets and artifacts.

"Welcome, Seto Kaiba," Ishizu said, without turning around to see who had entered. "Are you familiar with the origins of Duel Monsters?"

"I know enough," he said shortly, hoping she would get to the point.

She laughed flatly. "I highly doubt that. Why don't you come take a look at this tablet? Many scholars believe it depicts an ancient form of the game played in Egypt thousands of years ago."

Kaiba lazily glanced at the tablet but ended up doing a double take when he realized that she might actually be right. The stone showed how the Egyptians would capture the monsters' spirits into tablets and then summon them to battle one another.

Ishizu smirked when she saw his reaction. "If you think that's impressive, you'll be especially shocked by this next one," she said coyly.

"How can this be?" Kaiba demanded, looking at the next stone in disbelief. "That looks just like Yugi…"

"We don't know all the details about this tablet," she admitted, "but what we _do_ know is that this epic battle between the Pharaoh, the same Pharaoh that possess Yugi's Millenium Puzzle, and his high priest nearly destroyed the world. His opponent was an ancient version of you, Kaiba. If you don't believe me, look at the monsters they wield - the Blue Eyes White Dragon and the Dark Magician!"

"No...way," he murmured, unable to mask his shock.

Although it was a greater reaction than his initial skepticism when he first arrived, Ishizu wanted to ensure that he was fully enthralled. "I still sense a shred of doubt, Seto Kaiba," she observed. "Using the power of my Millenium Necklace, I will give you a glimpse into the past. Once you see it with your own eyes, you will have irrefutable proof!"

In a flash, the Egyptian exhibit disappeared into a swirling, nauseating vortex. Kaiba knew he must still be standing in that room, but he let out a cry of surprise as he felt as though he were falling through some portal into another world - as utterly ridiculous as that sounded. As quickly as it began, the falling sensation came to a sudden halt as he stood suspended above some Egyptian chamber.

It didn't take him long to realize that Ishizu had somehow projected the exact scene from the tablet in front of him. He watched with mild curiosity as the high priest dueled the Yugi look-alike. The longer he watched this ancient version of Duel Monsters, the more Kaiba started to consider that that high priest _did_ look and sound just like him but that didn't make them the same person nor did it make him some sort of reincarnation.

The high priest was challenging the validity of the Pharaoh's right to the throne, given the disastrous state of the city since his reign began. Whoever won the duel, he argued, would have the right to the throne. They each summoned their strongest monsters - Blue Eyes White Dragon and Dark Magician - but before Kaiba could see the outcome, he felt his surroundings starting to swirl again. Just as the vision started to clear, Kaiba caught a glimpse of a girl with hauntingly familiar emerald eyes watching the duel from the shadows.

* * *

With a huge sigh of relief, Dani added the last sales order to the spreadsheet and shoved the final receipt off the desk. She closed the laptop and rested her head on the flat, albeit heated, surface. _Who knew_ so _many businesses were interested in a card game tournament_ , she thought. _This would never happen in America._

She laughed to herself, imagining her friends from her old school running around the pier with duel disks instead of attending class. Thinking about home inevitably reminded Dani of her mom. She'd only been gone for a couple weeks, but it felt like months since she last saw her. Dani knew that her mom had no interest in returning to Japan, but she vowed to do whatever it would take to change her mind. With her monster of a father out of the picture now, she felt confident that she had a compelling argument.

Feeling renewed with inspiration, Dani lifted her head up and nearly screamed when she saw the clock. "Oh my God, Duke is going to _kill_ me," she cried, scrambling to shove her laptop in her backpack and run for the door.

She impatiently pressed the down button on the elevator for what felt like an eternity before it reached her floor. Dani didn't even consider the possibility that there might be other people still in the office, which is why she nearly knocked Mokuba to the ground when she tried to squeeze in the before the doors had fully opened.

"Crap, I'm so sorry, Mokuba. Are you okay?" she sheepishly asked.

"I'm fine," he said, chuckling. "Man, Seto wasn't kidding when he said running into people must be a hobby of yours."

Dani's face burned a bright shade of red as she stepped aside for him to exit. "Seriously?!" she groaned. "It only happened one….maybe _two_ times tops. It's not my fault I always seem to be running late."

"Where do you have to be in such a hurry?" he asked.

"I promised my brother that I'd meet him at the shop and I got so caught up in the work I was doing here that I didn't realize how late it was…"

Mokuba frowned. "So your brother's a good guy now?"

"He was always a good guy, he just...our dad really messed with his head."

"Well as long as he's not going to cause any more trouble, I guess I could help you out," he smirked. "Wanna ride in the limo?"

"Absolutely!" she exclaimed as he re-entered the elevator.

* * *

Once the hallucination cleared, Kaiba found himself kneeling on the floor in front of that accursed tablet and gasping for breath.

"Do you believe me now, Kaiba?" Ishizu asked nonchalantly.

"I've seen enough," he said gruffly, getting back to his feet and grabbing his briefcase. "I don't know what you expected to accomplish by showing me all this, but I'm not interested."

Just before he reached the exit, Ishizu said, "Are you just going to leave without hearing about the cards I promised you?"

Kaiba's eyes widened. _I completely forgot about the cards Ishizu had mentioned...all this hocus pocus is messing with my head!_

He spun around, looking as composed as possible, and said, "Get to the point already."

She nodded and gestured to the top of the stone tablet where three monsters were carved. "There are some monster cards that were too powerful to release to the public. Pegasus created a series of Egyptian God Cards, but soon realized that these cards harnessed too much power and would be too dangerous to play in the game."

"You lie!" he gasped. "I know everything about every card in this game and I've never heard of such cards."

"Very few know of their existence. As soon as he realized how destructive they would be, Pegasus returned to Egypt and entrusted me to secure the cards; however, two of the cards were stolen recently by a group of ruthless card collectors known as the Rare Hunters."

"Nice work," Kaiba sneered. "What happened to the card that was left behind?"

"It's right here," she said, pulling a card out of her pocket. "Behold - Obelisk the Tormentor!"

Kaiba felt his heart skip a beat as he stared at the card. _If these cards are as powerful as she claims, then I must find them all and add them to my deck. Yugi wouldn't stand a chance against three all-powerful god cards._

Accepting Kaiba's speechlessness as his response, Ishizu continued. "I know that you intend to host a Duel Monsters tournament and I believe that this would be the perfect way to retrieve the cards that were stolen from me."

"And why should I help you?"

"I'll let you borrow this," she shrugged, handing him the card. "Lure the Rare Hunters to Domino with your tournament and help me get the god cards back, Kaiba."

Kaiba didn't care how Ishizu would've known about his tournament or the fact that she honestly thought he'd just hand the cards over to her once he won them. All that mattered was that he was beginning the tournament with a clear advantage - one of the three Egyptian god cards was in his deck and soon he'd be completely unstoppable.

* * *

As the buildings passed by in a blur, Dani stared out the window and nervously chewed on her bottom lip. Mokuba had tried to make small talk here and there, but finally took a hint after getting minimal responses from Dani. Of course, she felt bad for not engaging with him, especially after he helped her tonight, but she just had too much on her mind.

Mokuba wasn't as defeated as she thought, though. After a few silent moments passed in the limo, Mokuba changed the subject to something that was sure to interest his fellow passenger. "It's really weird seeing someone else come out of Seto's office," he said, amused.

Dani tore her attention away from the window and laughed. "Really? I'm sure people come in and out of there all the time…"

"Nope," he replied shaking his head. "In fact the only people that have ever been allowed in there are me and Roland."

"It's true, Miss Devlin," Roland affirmed from the driver's seat. "Mr. Kaiba is very particular about who he lets in his private office. He must really trust you."

"Wow...I'm flattered," she said softly, feeling somewhat guilty for not sticking around until Kaiba returned.

"Just between you and me," Mokuba whispered, grinning. "I think my big brother _really_ likes you."

Dani snorted. "Just because he 'trusts' me doesn't mean he likes me...like that," she said awkwardly, wanting nothing more than to curl into a ball and scream out of sheer embarrassment.

Fortunately, the ride from KaibaCorp to the Black Clown was short enough that Dani could avoid continuing this conversation any further. "Thanks so much for the ride, Mokuba. You're a life-saver!"

"Happy to help," he grinned. "See ya tomorrow, Dani."

She stood on the curb and waved as the limo drove off. A feeling of dread passed through her as she turned around and saw the silhouette of a figure standing in one of the offices on the second floor. _Maybe that's not Duke...I mean_ anyone _could be standing in that window..._ , she thought, resuming her lip-biting in nervous anticipation as she entered the shop.

Much to her surprise, considering the fire and all the scandal from yesterday, the shop was still packed with customers. Dani was glad to see that was the case - she knew how hard Duke worked to get this far, and he deserved the success.

As she was walking up the stairs, a condescending man in a tacky suit approached her. "Well, well, well look who finally decided to show up," he sneered.

Dani frowned. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

"If you plan on having an active role in this store, you _should_ know me. I'm your brother's right hand man - and I'm afraid that we ended up having the meeting without you."

 _Meeting? What meeting? Duke just said he wanted to talk to me after school...ugh I can't let this moron know that I'm confused. Just play it cool_ , she thought, continuing up the stairs.

"Fortunately, I know my brother will fill me in on what I've missed. Oh, and one more thing," she said, turning around to face him once she got to the top of the stairs. "I'm a Devlin too, so I suggest you show some respect."

It was difficult not to burst into a fit of laughter as she watched him squirm in discomfort and sputter out a half-hearted apology. _I could get used to this_ , she thought, smirking as she made her way to Duke's office.

"Hey Duke," she said, lingering hesitantly in the doorway.

Duke was sitting on the floor with a bunch of papers and empty coffee cups scattered around him. "Where have you been?" he asked, barely glancing up to acknowledge her.

"I told you I had some things to do...and that I'd be here by 6. What did I miss?"

"I needed to work with the PR team to put together a good follow-up story for the press regarding everything that happened yesterday. It would've been nice to have you here, but we figured it out."

"Sorry to continue being such a monumental disappointment," she muttered. "But you should've told me that it was a meeting...all you said was 'I want to go over some things with you.'"

"And that didn't sound important enough?" he asked, cocking a judgmental brow.

Dani pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. "Are we going to keep arguing or are you gonna fill me in on what I missed so that I can make up for this tomorrow?"

Duke exhaled a heavy breath and suddenly changed his demeanour. He flipped from agitated to amiable in an instant. "Don't worry about it. I'll give you a recap over some cheeseburgers - my treat."

Although Dani wondered what inspired his sudden change of heart, she was relieved to have avoided any more confrontations. "How can I say no to burgers with my bro," she said, playfully elbowing him in the ribs before racing him to his car.

* * *

After everything that had happened so far, Kaiba was sure that nothing could ruin his evening - nothing except coming back to an empty office. His eyes darted around the room as though he expected Dani to be childishly hiding with the intent to surprise him, but it quickly became evident that he was alone.

 _Who the hell does she think she is?_ He thought, balling his fists in anger. _She probably left shortly after I did when I specifically told her to stay and finish her work._

Feeling betrayed, Kaiba stormed over to his desk and shoved just about everything except the computer off in a rare display of rage.

"Seto?" Mokuba called out, running into the office. He froze when he saw everything scattered on the floor. "What happened?"

Kaiba scoffed. "Nothing for you to worry about."

"It...it's been a while since I've seen you get so upset," Mokuba observed. "Don't try to pretend like nothing's wrong."

Before Kaiba could try to deter the conversation, he saw an unread email on his computer screen. With a foreign feeling of guilt building in his gut, Kaiba opened the email and saw that Dani had in fact completed the task he assigned to her and had stayed until her work was done.

"It seems I was mistaken," he said softly, discouraging Mokuba from further interrogation. "Have Roland bring the limo out front. Let's head home."

Mokuba's face lit up. "Whoa never thought I'd see the day we left the office before 9 pm," he joked. "Be right back!"

Once his brother was out of sight, Kaiba clutched the edge of his desk and stared wide-eyed at the mess he created. _Why does she have such a strong influence over me? I was just given the card that will guarantee my victory in this tournament, and yet it's like that was completely forgotten as soon as I entered this empty office,_ he thought, shaking his head in an attempt to clear his mind. _I've come too far to become distracted. I need to stay focused on doing whatever it takes to duel and defeat Yugi and no one - especially not some annoying girl - will get in my way._

* * *

Relieved that Duke no longer seemed upset as they ate dinner, Dani began lowering her guard. By the time they got back, it felt as if all the tension she'd been carrying with her during the day had vanished completely - she didn't even mind staying in her old house.

As they walked through the front door, she didn't feel repulsed like she did last night. In fact, she seemed to feel right at home as she dropped her backpack by the door and hopped on the couch.

Duke, on the other hand, wasn't fortunate enough to share his twin sister's positive reversal of emotion. He was about to join her in the living room, but froze when he saw something sticking out of Dani's backpack. He bent down and pulled the lanyard out of her bag. The ID badge attached to the lanyard read: Danielle Devlin, Kaiba Corp employee.

His fingers coiled around the badge as he realized why she was late coming over to the shop. _I knew something weird was going on between Dani and that sleazebag Kaiba when they were talking earlier. Let's see how long it takes her to notice that this is missing...maybe then she'll actually start being honest with me_ , he thought, sliding the badge into his back pocket.

* * *

 **A/N:** Apologies for the delayed update. Idk why but I had some major writer's block with this chapter...it just felt like a filler chapter to me, but hopefully you all enjoyed it anyway! I promise to have the next chapter out before Halloween lol

As always, thanks for reading :)


	16. Bitter Birthday Boy

**Frozen by Your Side**

 **By: Darkest Ember**

 **Chapter 16: Bitter Birthday Boy**

* * *

Summary: Dani Devlin is Duke Devlin's estranged twin sister. When they were younger, their father had asked a local game shop owner, Solomon Muto, to teach him to be a game master. They end up playing a dangerous game that ages their father 50 years in one night. From that moment on, he becomes obsessed with vengeance and plans to use Duke as a means to that revenge. Unable to save them both, their mother escapes with Dani and moves to America. A few years later, Dani starts to see the negative changes in her brother and decides to move back to Domino during her junior year of high school to save him. There, she meets Yugi and the gang, who all share her love for Duel Monsters. She hopes that they can also help Duke return to his old self. And then there's Seto Kaiba. Dani doesn't exactly get off on the right foot with him, but perhaps he is the one who can change _her_ for the better.

The story begins sometime between the Duelist Kingdom and Dungeon Dice Monster arcs and will go through Battle City. Inspired by the manga storyline that shows "Mr. Clown" (Duke's dad) as the reason why Duke challenges Yugi.

Some chapters will start with a foreshadowing segment of Dani and Kaiba's online chat...neither of them know the true identity of who they're talking to, but end up becoming friends online (picture something like A Cinderella Story with Hillary Duff and Chad Michael Murray).

Pairing: Kaiba x OC

* * *

Dani's head felt impossibly heavy as her hand struggled to hold it up. To show initiative - and to make up for missing _such_ an important meeting last night - Dani had insisted on going to the shop with Duke so she could participate in the morning staff meeting. The notion of being some big-shot at a company sounded so appealing at first, but so far it had been nothing but an odd combination of stress and boredom.

Despite her best efforts, she couldn't continue listening to sales reports from the previous night or customer service pep talks. Instead, her thoughts drifted toward Kaiba. She wondered what happened when he went to the museum to speak with that mysterious woman from the news report. Stealing a glance at her phone, she saw that - thankfully - it was almost time to leave for school. She couldn't wait to find out what happened last night.

The car ride to school felt even more grueling than the meeting as Dani silently stared out the window. Duke was being rigid and reserved - a noticeable departure from the cheery and confident facade he displayed in the meeting. Dani thought it was strange and tried to make conversation, but each of her attempts were bitterly shot down, leading her to wonder if she did something wrong. Unfortunately, with other important issues on her mind, she had to put this problem on the backburner for now and decided to deal with Duke later.

Dani leapt at the opportunity to say goodbye to her brother the moment she spotted Joey and Yugi by the bike rack in the parking lot. Their comical conversation was a welcomed contrast to Duke's suffocating silence.

When they entered homeroom, Dani had been mid-sentence, but her voice began to trail off when she saw that Kaiba wasn't already there. Of course it was possible that he was running late or was planning on skipping homeroom altogether, but, much like the way her brother was acting in the car, this seemed strange.

"Everything ok, Dani?" Yugi asked, voice filled with concern.

For a moment, it was as though everything and everyone around her had disappeared. All she could do was stare at that empty seat. Eventually, she heard Yugi's voice and blinked a few times to return to reality. "Uh yeah, sorry about that," she said, laughing loudly. "What were we talking about?"

"You were sayin' somethin' about how ya fancy new job at ya brother's shop ain't all it's cracked up to be," Joey recapped.

"Oh right...that," she replied, shrugging. "I just don't know if I'm ready to fully commit to it."

"Have you ever had a job before this?" Yugi asked.

Dani shook her head. "This will be my first - maybe that's why it feels so stressful." Of course, Dani knew _exactly_ why the job was stressful, but she didn't want to bother them with her personal drama. For better or worse, the conversation ended shortly after that, leaving Dani alone with her thoughts.

* * *

Throughout the day, she found herself going through various phases - at first she felt worried, then hopeful, annoyed, and eventually, angry. By lunchtime she convinced herself that she didn't care where he was or what happened to him last night. _We're hardly even friends, and he doesn't have any obligations to me, so of course he wouldn't fill me in on_ anything _,_ she thought, feeling frustrated.

Once she reached some form of acceptance with today's predicament, she decided to get something special from the cafeteria and enjoy herself during lunch with her _real_ friends. But even with a firm resolve to remain positive, Dani knew that it wouldn't last as soon as she saw Duke approach the table.

"Hey gang," Duke said in a sickly sweet voice. "Mind if I join?"

"Not at all," Tea grinned, scooting over so he could pull up a chair.

Suddenly, the delicious lunch she'd picked out didn't look so appetizing, and the casual conversation didn't feel so comforting. Dani sat silently, feeling like she was a shell of her own existence as her brother stole all the attention _again_. She wondered if there was ever going to be a time when she wasn't covered by his shadow.

There was only so much grinning and bearing that Dani could do, and by this point she felt as though she'd reached her limit. "Hey I forgot to finish a worksheet from yesterday. I'm gonna go work on that," she announced, though doubted anyone would've even noticed her absence. _I wish_ I _didn't notice certain people's absences_ , she thought sourly.

As she stood at her locker, trying to kill time until next period, she decided to go through her bag and get rid of any old assignments. Once she threw out the trash, she looked down in the empty bag and realized that something was missing. "Shit," she cursed under her breath. "Where's my ID?"

She checked the other zippered compartments and flipped through the pages of whichever textbooks had been in there. Glancing at the clock, she saw she had just enough time to run to the front office and check lost and found. It was possible that her bag wasn't fully zipped this morning, and the ID could've easily fallen out. At this point, she clung onto that fleeting positivity because she wasn't sure if she could handle any more bad news today.

* * *

As someone interested in avoiding tasks that wasted his time, Kaiba rarely slept more than a couple hours each night. In his opinion, it would be better to work late and accomplish something rather than lie in bed for eight hours. This morning, however, he needed more than his usual amount and ended up sleeping well past noon.

He shot upright with a gasp and glanced around at his surroundings. _It was just a dream_ , he realized, steadying his breathing. All night he'd been tortured with images from whatever hallucinations Ishizu had conjured during their meeting. Kaiba believed that none of what he saw then or just now before waking up was real, but he couldn't understand why he felt so disturbed. It's not like the imagery was terrifying; rather, it was how _lifelike_ it all felt that seemed to shake him to the bone. In that moment upon just waking up, it felt like he'd been looking at his own memories rather than random dream-like images.

 _I won't let this nonsense affect my reality_ , he thought, determinedly. He walked over to his closet and glanced between his school uniform and collection of trench coats. Realistically, there was no point in going to school with the day already almost over, and he knew that that made sense, but it still took him a few more moments of contemplation before reaching for the trench coat.

He hadn't told anyone - not even Mokuba - about the Egyptian god card he received last night, but he wanted to tell Dani about it for some odd reason. Much like how she was the only logical person to test out his duel disk, Kaiba felt she was the only one who'd appreciate the importance of the card.

But he didn't have to go to school to do that - he knew he would see her at his office later in the day. He smirked imagining with great amusement how pissed off she'll probably be that he ditched school - and that was ultimately what finalized his decision.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Miss Devlin, but I've been here all day, and I don't recall receiving anything for lost and found," the secretary said.

"Can't you just go double check?" she asked. "It's really important!"

"Then maybe you shouldn't have lost it in the first place," she mumbled, standing up with a huff as she walked to the back room where the bin was kept.

Dani crossed her arms over her chest and pouted as she slumped down in a seat near the lobby. Staring at the secretary's empty desk seemed hardly helpful, so her eyes wandered over to the nearby bulletin board. A list of students with upcoming birthdays was posted in the center. She was about to move on to the cafeteria schedule, but froze when she saw whose birthday was tomorrow. _Oct. 25 - Kaiba, Seto_

So surprised by that detail, Dani barely heard the secretary say that she still didn't have any new additions to the lost and found bin. Dani mechanically thanked her and walked to her next class in a haze. Of course, she wasn't at all surprised that Kaiba wouldn't have mentioned it. He probably didn't even do anything to celebrate it. But that didn't mean that she wouldn't.

That interesting revelation only elated her for a short period of time, though. As the school day was coming to an end, Dani remembered that she still didn't have her ID badge and she wasn't sure if she'd even be granted access to the office without it. She looked through her locker once more before heading out. Biting her lower lip, she glanced around to see if Duke was nearby and cringed when she saw him running toward her.

"Hey, sis," he said. "Ready to go to the shop?"

"Actually-," she began, but stopped when she saw a familiar navy blue lanyard hanging out of his pocket. "What's that?"

"Huh?" he asked with exaggerated confusion before glancing down to where she was pointing. "Oh this? I was hoping you'd be able to tell me." He pulled it out of his pocket and held it dangling in front of her.

Realizing that she wouldn't be able to lie her way out of this, Dani muttered, "I'm sure you can read what it says on the badge."

"Oh I can," he said, dropping his confused act as he spun the lanyard around his finger. "I just wanted to hear you say it. I just wanted you to be honest for _once_ since you've been back."

She laughed dryly. "That's rich coming from you. Remember when I kept telling you that our father was a monster - wasn't I being honest then? You didn't believe me and because of that you almost didn't survive!"

"That was different," he protested. "I don't trust Kaiba and I don't think you should be hanging around him, let alone working for him. You barely know the guy."

"I appreciate your concern, if you can even call it that, but I think I can make my own decisions," she said, waiting for the lanyard to spin back in range before leaping up and tearing it from his hand.

* * *

Between Kaiba's unexplained absence from school and Duke's hot-and-cold emotional roller coaster, Dani had more than her fair share of drama for the day. Yet as she rode the elevator to the top floor of the Kaiba Corp building, she had a feeling the worst was yet to come.

It took a moment for her shaky fingers to finally turn the door knob, but once she did, she feared that she'd gone into the wrong office - since this one appeared to be empty - but she knew that no one else's office would rival the size of his. _Maybe he skipped work today too?_ She wondered. _And of course he wouldn't tell me that I didn't have to come in. Just great..._

As she angrily spun around and headed for the door, a small yelp slipped past her lips when she saw that he'd been there the whole time, casually leaning up against the bookshelves. "You're late," he observed, smirking at her reaction.

"And you're an asshole," she mocked. "What else is new?"

He walked past her and sat down at his desk. "It would seem I was correct," he murmured.

"Correct about what?" she asked, following him over and leaning on the desk so she could glare at him over his computer.

"That my absence at school would upset you," he said coolly.

Dani's face burned bright red as she leapt away from the desk and prayed that he didn't see her blush. "Don't be ridiculous," she laughed. "Way too many things contributed to my mood being the way it is right now, and I assure you if you were one of those things, you'd be at the very bottom of the list!"

"Your dramatic reaction says otherwise," he noted.

She scoffed. "Yeah, whatever. So why did you skip school anyway?"

"I realized that even with your assistance, it might be difficult to meet the deadlines I've set for this project, so I'm taking an indefinite break from that sad excuse of a school. I want the tournament to start in two days."

"I'm surprised you don't want it to start on your birthday...I mean, what better way to celebrate?" she muttered under her breath.

"What did you say?"

She glanced up before responding and saw a look of sincere shock on his face. "Uh...I said...I'm surprised you wouldn't want to have it on a Thursday."

His eyes narrowed in suspicion. "There's nothing special about Thursdays. How did you even know it was my birthday?"

"It was listed on the bulletin board at school," she said sheepishly.

"I see," he replied, sounding less concerned. "Regardless, I find birthdays to be a waste of a celebration. So what - you're another year older."

As Kaiba continued talking about the dismal subject, his fingers had involuntarily curled into fists. He refused to celebrate his own birthday since his parents died all those years ago. Even though he still had his brother, it just wasn't the same. He understood that Dani didn't know all those details, and he didn't want to share them with her, so he had to brace himself for at least another two rounds of interrogation before she'd let it go.

"Are you kidding? It's the one day a year that is _your_ day. People give you gifts and you get cake," she argued, using her fingers to count off all the birthday benefits.

"Every day is my day," he sneered.

"Ugh you're SO pretentious," she replied, dropping the subject sooner than both of them would've expected. Kaiba assumed it was because his snide remark laid the subject to rest, but Dani had a different idea. She sat in the seat across from him and smirked.

 _I've always been told that I'm a good event planner, so I'm sure I can improve Kaiba's opinion of this holiday_ , she thought, feeling pleased to have something else to focus all her misplaced attention on.

In the midst of all the excitement from Dani's new plot, she completely forgot about Kaiba's meeting with Ishizu; however, Kaiba had been practically sitting on the edge of his seat waiting for her to bring it up. She automatically took out her laptop and was about to ask him what he wanted her to work on today, but he wasn't quite done socializing yet. "Aren't you going to ask about my meeting last night?" he inquired. "You seemed pretty curious during the phone call."

Her eyes lit up with realization. "Oh yeah!" she exclaimed. "What happened?"

Kaiba didn't mention the fact that he met with a woman who claimed to have access to the past and future with a cheap souvenir necklace. He forgot to bring up the hallucinations said necklace caused or what he saw. In fact, by the time Kaiba finished his brief synopsis of the event, it sounded pretty dull to Dani.

"That's it?" she asked in disappointment. "How did that take up so much time?"

"I haven't gotten to the best part yet," he smirked, reaching into his coat pocket. "After enduring a tedious lesson on the Egyptian origins of Duel Monsters, I found out about three exclusive cards that were never released to the public. Ishizu had one of the cards in her possession and gave it to me. With this card in my deck, I'll be unstoppable!"

Without further adieu, he revealed the card. "'Obelisk the Tormentor?'" she read aloud. "What's so special about this? It isn't even as strong as the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon." Wanting to see if she was missing some hidden ability or something, she ripped the card out of his hands and squinted to read the fine print on the bottom of the card.

"What do you think you're doing?" he shouted, reaching for the card, which Dani effortlessly dodged.

"I'm just trying to understand why you're so impressed with this card," she shrugged, hopping up on the couch so that she'd have a slight height advantage.

He followed her over to the couch and glared when he realized that now the card was just out of his reach. "Stop standing on my furniture and give me the card," he said lowly.

After realizing how much the card meant to him, Dani saw a perfect opportunity to seek vengeance for him ditching school today. She stepped back further on the couch and dangled the card above his head out of spite. "Hmm I don't think so," she teased. "I think I'll keep it for myself. Then maybe if you beat me in a duel you can have it back."

He laughed. "That'll be no problem, since I've already done it once."

The snide comment caused her to lower her arm slightly, which almost brought the card within Kaiba's reach, but she snapped out of the shock just as fast as it overcame her. "If this card is as good as you say it is, then I don't think you stand a chance."

"The card is only as good as the duelist who plays it," he shot back.

"Care to put those words to the test?" she challenged.

"There's no need," he smirked. "I already know I'm right."

He acted like he was going to walk back to his desk, which caused Dani to cautiously begin her descent from the couch. Acting with immense precision, he pivoted around and reached for her hand. She let out a surprised scream and leapt back up on the cushion, causing both of them to tumble as the couch fell on its back.

Dani took the brunt of the fall, landing hard on her back as Kaiba fell on top of her. He regained his bearings faster than she did and was quick to reach for the card. The moment both of their fingers touched the card, a blinding white light filled the room. Flashes of fuzzy images played in the light like some sort of slide show. They saw pyramids, a palace, and someone that looked like Yugi dressed as a pharaoh. Then, they saw people that looked like themselves atop a balcony waving to a crowd of Egyptians.

When the light vanished, Kaiba was breathing heavily as his shaky arms were barely able to hold himself up over Dani, who was looking back at him with the same shocked expression. Dani stared up into his wide blue eyes and felt like she was looking at a different person entirely - it wasn't like Kaiba to express so much emotion.

"You saw that too, right?" she asked.

"It's not possible…" he breathed.

Suddenly, there was a shrill knock at the door. Roland stepped in the office ready to brief Kaiba on some important matter, but stopped mid-sentence when he saw the flipped couch and their seemingly intimate positioning. Roland's face turned red as he spun around. "M-my apologies, Mr. Kaiba! I didn't mean to interrupt."

The interruption was _exactly_ what Kaiba needed to snap back to reality. He blinked a few times and got to his feet, as though the whole freaky thing didn't happen. He snatched the card out of Dani's hand as he walked over to Roland and insisted that it wasn't what it looked like.

Dani wondered if she could just continue lying on the floor and pretend to be invisible until her embarrassment ebbed away. After a few experimental seconds, she realized that that wasn't going to work, so she forced herself up and tried to compose herself back at the desk. Kaiba wrapped up his conversation with Roland and walked over with a completely straight face as he sat down across from her.

She waited for him to drop the act and show some indication of confusion or concern regarding what had happened between them, but as he started typing away on his computer, she realized that wasn't going to happen. "Sooo," she began, "we're just going to pretend like none of that happened?"

"None of what?" he asked, glancing up briefly from the screen.

"Well, let's see," she said, feigning a curious tone. "Should we start with the fact that you tackled me over a stupid card or should we just skip to the weird hallucination we saw when we both touched the stupid card?"

"I'm going to pretend that you didn't just call my Egyptian god card a 'stupid card.'"

"Did you see something like that when Ishizu first gave you the card? Maybe it's cursed and _that's_ why she gave it to you."

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "Nothing like that happened before. And weren't you paying attention to what I was saying? She wants me to use the tournament to lure in the duelists that stole the other two cards. Little does she know, I'll be keeping them for myself."

"You wouldn't even know about these cards if it wasn't for her," Dani said, judgmentally.

"Oh well, guess she should've been more careful about who she shared that information with," he shrugged. "In case you haven't realized it by now, this tournament is being held for me and my agenda and nothing is going to get in my way."

"Yeah, yeah you don't need to keep reminding me," she said, twirling a pen between her fingers.

"Does this tournament even have a name?"

Kaiba frowned. "Not specifically…"

"What?!" she exclaimed. "You think that just slapping your company's name on the event is going to be enough to bring the best of the best to Domino? You need something more, something to make it stand out from any other tournament."

"There you go, being dramatic again. The tournament will be more than enough to bring in duelists. Nothing has ever been done like this before. Thanks to the portability of my new duel disk, the entire city will become a battleground!"

"That's it!" she said, snapping her fingers. "You could call it 'Battle City.'"

It pained Kaiba to admit it, but Dani was actually being very helpful with the planning. "Very well," he nodded, keeping any other positive comments to himself. "We'll call it Battle City. And in the midst of all this planning, I've come up with a new condition - the loser will have to forfeit his or her rarest card."

"Nice," she agreed. "So all I have to do is find you during the tournament and beat you so I can get your stupid god card." She stuck her tongue out knowing that it would annoy him even more.

He laughed. "That's where you're wrong. I'll be too busy finding which Rare Hunters have the other two god cards."

Dani pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "So you're literally hosting this expensive tournament just to get a couple of rare cards?"

"That's just an added bonus," he explained. "I'm having this tournament to beat Yugi and reclaim my title as the world's best duelist."

"Oh right...how could I forget," she said monotonously. _I can't believe this guy is so obsessed over something so trivial. He has so many things and yet it's not enough for him - not until he gets some imaginary title. I hate when he brings this up._

"You might not think it's important, but it means everything to me. Once I defeat Yugi, I'll have everything I've ever wanted."

"And you think one card is going to beat him? If it means that much to you, I wouldn't rely on one card. You don't even know if you'll draw it during the duel!"

Kaiba smirked. "I think the odds will be in my favor. Here, I'll prove it."

Curious as to how he intended to prove it, Dani followed Kaiba into the elevator and down to the lower level labs where she first met him. They walked into a small room with what appeared to be a dueling robot. Kaiba shuffled Obelisk into his deck and placed it into the robot's deck slot. He explained that he created a virtual version of Yugi's deck for the simulator.

During the first simulation, Kaiba's deck won with ease in a mere five turns. The second time, he won in three turns. "Don't you see?" he asked, his lips curling into a twisted grin. "My deck is unstoppable. With Obelisk the Tormentor, I will crush every single person foolish enough to challenge me."

Dani found herself subconsciously backing away from him as he approached her. "Are you sure there's not more to this rivalry than wanting to be the best?" she asked softly. "I think you're taking it a _little_ too far."

By now, he was towering over her as she hit a wall. She stared up into his icy blue eyes and felt a chill go down her spine. "I don't expect you to understand, but until my scars of defeat have healed, I'll never be able to bury my past." He didn't wait around for her to ask what he meant by that. "You can go home now," he said, before exiting.

Despite the automatic lights starting to turn off, Dani remained in the room. She was surprised to have seen such an array of emotion play across his face in that brief moment. He was determined...saddened...and maybe even a little scared. _I wish there was something I could do to help him_ , she thought, sighing as she made her way to the elevator.

Since Kaiba was kind enough to let her leave without doing much work, Dani decided to enjoy her time between jobs and do some window shopping. She realized it was probably a fruitless effort, but she was hoping that maybe she'd see something that would be the perfect birthday present for Kaiba. _If only one of these shops sold a plaque with "king of games" written on it,_ she thought, laughing to herself.

Eventually she gave up her present pursuit and sought a much more obtainable target: ice cream. She was enjoying a delicious brownie fudge sundae when her phone began vibrating in her jacket pocket. Yugi had texted her to see if she wanted to come over and check out some new cards his Gramps got in stock. Dani remembered her earlier encounter with Duke and considered just skipping her time at the Black Clown. _As much as I'd love to piss Duke off, I also want to show him that I'm more capable than he thinks._

Frowning, she texted Yugi back and explained that she was on her way to Duke's shop to meet up with him. Just as she was about to head in the direction of the Black Clown, her phone vibrated again. "'Duke's already here?'" she read aloud. "Who does he think he is hanging out with _my_ friends?" Dani angrily spun around in the middle of the sidewalk and headed toward the Kame Shop.

* * *

Everyone greeted her when she walked in, which certainly helped take some of her edge off. Even Duke gave a quick smile before he turned his attention back to the massive stack of booster packs on the floor. Unlike how he was behaving at lunch, Duke seemed to be genuinely enjoying his time with Yugi and the others.

"Whataya doin' just standin' there?" Joey asked. "Check out all des cards we gotta open!"

Tea elbowed Joey in the ribs and shoved him over to make room for Dani. "What Joey _means_ to say is, why don't you come join us, Dani?" she said.

Dani laughed as she ran over to the open spot. "You don't have to tell me twice!"

Although she didn't participate in the conversation very much, Dani felt at ease when she was with them. They were always so positive and laid back - not cold and selfish like Kaiba or controlling and sneaky like Duke.

"I can't believe Gramps is letting us keep all these cards," Yugi said, shuffling through some of his newest additions to his deck. "We each almost have enough cards to start a second deck!"

"Not gonna lie, Yug, I'm pretty sure some of des cards are gonna be my key to victory in Kaiba's new tournament," Joey observed.

"If he lets you enter," Tristan teased.

Before she could stop herself from letting it slip, the words just spilled from her mouth. "Kaiba may have a lot of rules for the tournament, but I'm pretty sure banning you from playing isn't an official one, so you should be good to go, Joey."

"Is that a perk of being Kaiba's bff?" Duke asked.

Dani narrowed her eyes at him, silently warning him to not divulge too much information. "Actually, yeah," she said, grinning. "In fact, if you guys promise to keep it a secret, I'll tell you one of the new additions to the tournament that's gonna make it unlike any other."

Joey fist-pumped the air. "Score! Give us the details."

"You'll want to make sure you don't lose any duels in this tournament - because if you do, you have to forfeit your rarest card to the winner," she said, loving the way everyone was paying attention to her.

"Interesting," Yugi said thoughtfully. "That could be either really good or really bad."

"Ehh how do ya figure, Yug?"

"Think about it, Joey. Sure, it'd be cool to get a rare card when you win, but you have to win every single duel to avoid losing whatever card you're betting with."

"Piece a cake," he said, dismissively waving his hand.

 _Joey doesn't realize that there are going to be some pretty ruthless thugs entering the tournament - if Kaiba's plan to bait them works. Maybe I should warn them? No...I've probably already said too much_ , she thought nervously.

Not wanting to get tangled in her own thoughts, she decided to finish going through her booster packs. Much like the others, she'd gotten some really useful cards to consider incorporating into her spookily themed deck. She decided to savor her last pack and open it slowly, closely examining each of the cards. Her eyes suddenly lit up when she looked at the second to last card in the stack: Spell Sanctuary.

 _Holy crap I think I just found Kaiba's birthday gift_ , she thought excitedly. _He seems to have forgotten that there's more to Duel Monsters than just powerful monsters...and this magic card could be super helpful during his duel with Yugi!_

"Sooo, did you get any good cards?" Yugi asked, while Joey and Tristan argued over what toppings to get on the pizza they were apparently about to order.

Dani laughed nervously, hoping he didn't realize that she was subconsciously trying to hide the card in her hand. "Uh, yeah actually! I can't wait to put all the cards together and restructure my deck."

"Same," he said, nodding. "Oh, and don't forget, if you still want to come over this weekend to have a few practice rounds, I'll be here working in the shop!"

In the midst of everything suddenly going on in her life, Dani had almost forgotten that they'd made casual plans for the weekend. "Absolutely," she grinned. "Thanks, Yugi."

After Yugi redirected his attention to mediating between his other friends, Dani glanced back down at the card in her hands and bit her lower lip. She almost felt guilty giving the card to Kaiba. Of course she knew how badly he wanted to beat Yugi, but she couldn't understand _why_ when Yugi was such a kind, cheerful guy.

* * *

 _The Next Day_

In what felt like his millionth attempt to "make things right" with his sister, Duke ditched his early morning meeting at work so he could make a surprise breakfast for her. "Good morning, sis!" Duke exclaimed, carrying two trays into the room.

Dani's eyes felt as though they'd grown as large as the plates before her as she hungrily reached for the tray. "Holy crap, Duke, this is amazing!"

"Don't say that until you've tasted it," he laughed, nervously scratching the back of his head.

"I'm sure it tastes great," she said, biting into a bacon strip. "Remember how you used to help mom cook?"

He nodded, recalling the memory. "Cooking could've been my hobby, but I ended up being a gamer."

"You're allowed to have more than one hobby," she argued. "Just...be whoever _you_ want to be, not what our father wanted you to be."

"I know, I know," he said, holding his hands up defensively. "Anyway...consider this breakfast my way of apologizing for being a total ass yesterday."

Dani gave him a skeptical look over the rim of her coffee mug. "I appreciate the apology, but I gotta ask - why the change of heart...again?"

He shrugged. "I guess spending time with Yugi and his friends kinda gave me some perspective. Everyone except Yugi was trash-talking Kaiba at one point, and I asked why he didn't share in their opinion. He insisted that Kaiba isn't as bad as he seems and that having you as his friend is probably the best thing that could happen for him."

"Y-Yugi said that?" she murmured, feeling that subtle sting of guilt as she thought about the Spell Sanctuary card she got for Kaiba. "That guy could probably see some good in just about anyone."

"True," Duke agreed, cringing as he thought back to his first few encounters with Yugi. After everything that he did and the decisions that he made, who was he to judge anyone else?

Dani took another heaping bite of pancakes and grinned as an idea formed in her mind. "Speaking of seeing the good in people," she said, slyly changing the subject. "Today's Kaiba's birthday, and I want to do something for him, to prove that he doesn't have to be alone all the time."

"I'm sensing a 'but' coming," he said, drinking his coffee with a little less enthusiasm.

She laughed. " _But_ in order to do that I need to ditch school today. All I need you to do is go to the office and tell the secretary I'm sick."

"Oh that's it?" he said, feigning relief. "I was afraid you were going to ask me to impersonate you or something."

"As if," she scoffed, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "You could never pull off this look."

"Debatable," he argued, jokingly. "But sure, I'll help you out. Go do what you gotta do."

"Yay!" she cheered, leaping up and hugging him. "You're the best, bro."

* * *

Dani's fingers trembled as she carried a plate of carefully crafted cupcakes up to the entrance of Kaiba Corp. Her confidence wavered with each step she took. _What if he just disregards all my hard work?_ She wondered, as doubt clouded her mind. _What if he already has this stupid card and makes fun of me for thinking that I was giving him anything special?_

After making it past the front desk and into the elevator, she glared at her reflection and chastised herself for caring so much. She knew very well that if these cupcakes and the card were for someone else, she wouldn't feel a single sliver of nervousness, but Seto Kaiba had an annoyingly powerful effect on her.

When the elevator opened and revealed the dreaded set of wooden doors leading to his office, Dani took a deep breath and marched forward. Just before knocking on the door, she froze when she heard yelling coming from inside the office. She pressed her ear up against the door to try to hear what was being said, but all she could make out was low, angry sounds. Those sounds quickly became louder, and before she could back away from the door, it swung open to reveal a very pissed off Kaiba towering over her. His hard expression softened ever so slightly when he saw her, but his tone continued as he snapped at the person he'd been talking to on the phone before ending the conversation altogether.

 _This was such a mistake_ , Dani thought, panicking as she hid the plate behind her back and took a few steps away from the irate CEO. His cold cobalt eyes narrowed as he focused his attention on her. "What are you doing here?" he asked, frowning upon realizing how harsh it sounded. "I mean...why are you here? It's only 2:30."

"No reason…" she murmured, wondering what she should do next. This was definitely not going according to plan.

Kaiba craned his neck to see why her hands were behind her back. "What are you holding?"

"Nothing…"

He smirked. "Then you won't mind if I just close the door and get back to work?" He backed into his office and slowly closed the door. Without thinking, Dani brought her arms forward and used her empty hand to stop it from closing, which effectively answered Kaiba's question.

"You tricked me!" She accused.

"It's not my fault that you fell for it," he shrugged, stepping aside so she could enter.

"Maybe so, but it is your fault for making every single thing more complicated than it needs to be."

"Says the girl who can't even explain why she's here."

"You know what? You're right," she said, exasperated. "Just take this. Happy freaking birthday." She shoved the plate into his hands and stormed over to the desk.

Kaiba frowned as he removed the foil and revealed a half dozen Blue Eyes White Dragon cupcakes neatly placed around a wrapped Duel Monsters card. A part of him wanted to toss it aside and prove to her that he was serious about not wanting to celebrate his birthday, but ultimately he had to acknowledge how impressed and surprised he was.

Dani finally cracked after a few moments of silence and started rambling. "Look...I know you don't like fun things, like birthday celebrations, but I was hoping this would change your mind."

He set the plate down and picked up the card, wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper, to examine it. "I appreciate the gesture," he said, unwrapping the card. "But you do realize that I have hundreds of Duel Monsters cards, right?"

"You're such a Debbie Downer," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "I know you're not used to people doing nice things for you...but the least you could do is keep your side comments to yourself for once."

"You're one to talk," he shot back.

Their argument ended instantly when Kaiba actually saw what card she'd given him. Dani smugly took his stunned silence as a sign of her success. "What's the matter, Mr. Billionaire? Don't have that card in your arsenal?"

"No," Kaiba begrudgingly admitted. "Why did you give me this card specifically?"

"I just have a feeling that it will benefit you when you inevitably have your rematch with Yugi."

Kaiba, who had extensively studied Yugi's strategies, ran a few quick scenarios through his head and realized that she was right - this card would be very beneficial to have in his deck. In fact, it could be used in many ways...it could help him summon his new god card or it could make it easier to draw one of the many powerful magic cards in his deck.

The strengthened feeling of knowing that he was closer to achieving his goal overcame him as he set the plate down on the desk and pulled Dani into an embrace. Dani was very surprised by the action and awkwardly held her arms up before slowly wrapping them around his torso. In that moment, she wanted nothing more than to stay like that forever. The negative feelings from the last two days completely disappeared, leaving nothing but a feeling of pure bliss.

Unfortunately, the moment wasn't going to last forever. Kaiba realized what he had done and pulled back rather suddenly. Before he could back away completely, Dani grasped his shirt and pulled him so close that their lips were almost touching. "I'm glad you liked the card, but let's get one thing straight. I will help you beat Yugi, in whatever way I can, because I see how much it means to you. But by the end of this tournament, I also intend to prove that there are better goals to have...and better things to care about."

* * *

A/N: So, as you can imagine, I originally wanted to post this on Kaiba's actual birthday back in October, but I kept making revisions, and here we are almost exactly 2 months later lol

The next chapter, which should be posted in a month or two, is going to be a BIG one...it'll show the beginning of the Battle City tournament, we'll get to see Marik and Bakura team up and make more evil plans than what happened in the show...and, best of all, something will happen that will clearly make Dani and Kaiba's 'friendship' move much closer to being a 'relationship!'

Thanks for your patience, as always! Also - MERRY CHRISTMAS :)


	17. Battle City Begins

**Frozen by Your Side**

 **By: Darkest Ember**

 **Chapter 17: Battle City Begins**

* * *

Summary: Dani Devlin is Duke Devlin's estranged twin sister. When they were younger, their father had asked a local game shop owner, Solomon Muto, to teach him to be a game master. They end up playing a dangerous game that ages their father 50 years in one night. From that moment on, he becomes obsessed with vengeance and plans to use Duke as a means to that revenge. Unable to save them both, their mother escapes with Dani and moves to America. A few years later, Dani starts to see the negative changes in her brother and decides to move back to Domino during her junior year of high school to save him. There, she meets Yugi and the gang, who all share her love for Duel Monsters. She hopes that they can also help Duke return to his old self. And then there's Seto Kaiba. Dani doesn't exactly get off on the right foot with him, but perhaps he is the one who can change _her_ for the better.

The story begins sometime between the Duelist Kingdom and Dungeon Dice Monster arcs and will go through Battle City. Inspired by the manga storyline that shows "Mr. Clown" (Duke's dad) as the reason why Duke challenges Yugi.

Pairing: Kaiba x OC

* * *

A loud knock at the front door echoed throughout the still house. Dani groaned and rolled over, nudging the pile of pillows she believed to be her brother.

"Go answer the door," she mumbled.

When the knocking continued with no answer, Dani shoved the pillows again and realized that she was alone. Grumbling a string of curse words, she crawled over to the door with a blanket still wrapped securely around her. "This better be important," she said, opening the door to reveal a seemingly empty porch. Assuming it was the kids next door playing a practical joke, she stomped outside and began yelling.

"If you little brats think this is a good joke, you're sorely-," she shouted, tripping over a large box that had been placed on the welcome mat. "-mistaken."

But just as the pile of pillows next to her hadn't been Duke, this didn't seem to be a joke either. Ignoring the pain she felt from her scraped elbows, Dani untangled herself from the blanket and brought the box inside. Although she was still angry with the whole situation, she had to admit that the mysterious package piqued her curiosity.

Feeling like a kid on Christmas morning, she eagerly ripped the tape off the box and peered inside. "No way," she murmured, giving a little scream of excitement when she saw a Duel Disk and Battle City invitation inside the box. She was about to tear the Duel Disk out of its packaging, but stopped when she saw an additional envelope at the bottom of the box.

Dani opened the thick cardstock envelope, which bore a golden "KC" logo on the front, expecting to find more detailed instructions regarding the tournament, but was surprised to find a handwritten letter inside:

 **Dani,**

 **Please accept this Duel Disk as a reward for your surprisingly useful contributions to the Battle City Tournament.**

 **-SK**

Each time Dani reread the single sentence, her confused frown deepened into a bitter scowl. She stormed back into the living room and screamed as loud as she could into the nearest pillow. _Leave it to Seto Kaiba to take what could've been a simple, nice gesture and turn it into something so...so...belittling_ , she thought angrily.

Still clutching one of the throw pillows with crushing force, Dani glared at the ground and contemplated how she should respond. She considered taping up the box and sending it right back to the ungrateful jerk to prove that she didn't need his patronizing. And yet, the fact that he would bother to send her anything at all indicated that this might just be his way of acknowledging their friendship.

"I hate him," she mumbled, frustrated and undecided.

"What the hell is going on down here?" Duke asked, peering cautiously into the living room from the safety of the staircase. "I keep hearing slamming doors and screaming."

"Uh...nothing special," she stammered, shoving the letter in between the couch cushions and laughing nervously.

"I'm sure," he replied, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

"I'm serious," she protested, picking up the Duel Disk box. "Kaiba just sent me a Duel Disk for the tournament."

"Lucky you," he said, biting into an apple. "I hear those things are pretty pricey."

Dani shrugged. "I mean it's the least he could do for all the hard work I've been putting in."

"Wish I could say the same," he said, sticking his tongue out.

"Don't be rude!" she gasped, tossing a magazine at him. "Anyway...are you going to join the tournament?"

Duke plopped down on the couch, dangerously close to the letter, and laughed. "You're joking right? Duel Monsters isn't really my game of choice."

"How can you say that when Dungeon Dice Monsters is _clearly_ inspired by Duel Monsters?"

"Now who's being rude?" he snapped. "Besides I didn't seem to get a Duel Disk or invitation in the mail."

Dani waved a dismissive hand. "Both of which can be easily resolved. Just leave it to me."

"Not gonna happen," he said firmly. "I don't want you calling in favors on my behalf."

"Who said anything about favors? I may...or may not...have added the Black Clown to the list of businesses selling Duel Disks for the tournament. So all you have to do is go to your own shop and get one," she said sheepishly.

Duke couldn't even get mad about her sudden decision because deep down he knew that that would bring a lot of extra business to the shop. "Right, like I'm going to help Kaiba get any richer than he already is."

"You're so stubborn!" she groaned, reaching under the couch for a coin. "Let's make a deal - if it's heads, you join the tournament."

"Ugh, fine just flip it," Duke begrudgingly agreed, hating the fact that his sister used his gambling interest against him.

They both watched as the coin spun through the air and landed in the palm of Dani's hand. She flipped it over and revealed the coin. "HEADS!" she cheered, slapping a displeased Duke on his back. "Welcome to the tournament, bro."

* * *

The city of Domino was hardly recognizable as tournament invitees and their friends filled the streets. While awaiting Kaiba's big tournament commencement, many people killed time at some of the local restaurants and shops, while others stood in the streets, which would be blocked off from all vehicle traffic until the first round of the tournament ended.

Dani loved seeing the city abuzz, but not everyone saw it as a good thing. During one of her shifts in the Kaiba Corp office, she had to help Kaiba sift through tons of emails complaining that this tournament was going to put hardworking people out of business, bring an unsavory crowd to the city, and interrupt teenagers' education.

"So how are we going to split these up?" Dani asked, watching as angry emails continued to flood the inbox.

Kaiba snickered. "'We?' Please...I'm already sick of reading these trivial complaints from people whose business skills are clearly not as advanced as mine. They think the city will fall apart just because they can't drive on the streets for a week - how pathetic."

"I agree that they're being dramatic, but there's like 50 of these emails. It'd be much faster if we just split it up and move on," she reasoned.

"Perhaps, but as CEO of a multi-million dollar company, I actually have a lot of other more pressing responsibilities. You, on the other hand, are a PR rep at your brother's game shop, so it would be more logical for you to handle this."

Dani wasn't ready to let the argument die, but she lost her train of thought when she heard Kaiba mention her other job at the Black Clown. "How do you even know about that?"

"I like to be well-informed," he said nonchalantly, causing Dani to wonder what else he secretly knew about her.

As odd as the exchange had been, it was obvious that she ended up being right when she had assured the 50+ concerned citizens that this event would actually bring _more_ business and benefit to the city.

"We should do this more often," Duke said, gesturing to the city streets. "You know, check out some of these restaurants and shops...a lot has changed since the last time you lived here."

Dani hadn't realized it - but he was right. Half of these buildings either didn't exist a few years ago or they were something else entirely. The city looked better than she ever remembered it looking, and she was glad to call it her home again. "I'm definitely down for that," she grinned slyly. "After I kick your butt in this tournament, of course."

Duke laughed sarcastically. "I think you mean when _I_ kick _your_ butt. I have a reputation to uphold here."

"Oh god, not you too," she muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing...I'm just so sick of hearing about 'titles.' Kaiba's only hosting this tournament so he can have a flashy chance to challenge Yugi for his spot as the number one duelist."

"That dude really needs to get a life," Duke snickered.

"That's what I'm trying to help him do," Dani mumbled, following Duke into a nearby cafe.

* * *

With less than two hours until his big tournament announcement, there were plenty of things that Seto Kaiba should've been focusing on. Instead, he found himself browsing the Kaiba Corp HR database to look up whatever information was on file for Dani. His eyes darted between the phone number on the screen and the telephone. He wondered what she thought of the gift he had Roland deliver to her this morning. He wondered if she thought about the last time she used a Duel Disk...when she dueled him…

"What is wrong with me?" he muttered to himself before shutting down the computer and walking over to the wall of windows behind his desk. In the streets so far below him, eager duelists were going to the various shops in town to buy the new Duel Disk. Soon, hundreds of people will fill the blockaded blocks and stare up at him in his helicopter as he commences the tournament.

Everything was falling perfectly into place. Yet even though he was sure that he would get exactly what he wanted out of this tournament, Kaiba felt as hollow as the empty room he was standing in. Before he could consider reviewing Dani's personnel file again, Mokuba burst into the room and turned the lights on. "Why are you just standing in the dark, bro? We've gotta get going. Roland has the 'copter ready on the roof," he said. His previously enthusiastic run came to a confused halt near the desk. "Where's Dani?"

Kaiba frowned. "How should I know?"

"I just figured that she'd be a part of the opening ceremony, since she helped out a lot with the planning," Mokuba shrugged.

"She's already been compensated for her contribution," Kaiba said, a little colder than intended. The last thing he needed right now was a guilt trip from his own brother.

Mokuba shook his head disapprovingly. "But this will be so much cooler than getting a Duel Disk in the mail. It's not every day someone gets to fly around the city in a private helicopter. You know I'm right!"

"It doesn't seem that thrilling to me," Kaiba rebutted, slipping into his trench coat before heading toward the door, not bothering to wait and see if Mokuba was following.

The more they continued discussing the topic, the worst the fluttering feeling of guilt became. He knew that Dani deserved to be a part of this but he was...for lack of a better word... _afraid_. His solidarity and refusal to rely on others was a large part of how he became the successful person he was today. If he were to abandon his own principles and take a chance on some girl he hardly knew, then there would be a good chance that he'd lose everything he worked so hard to obtain. And Kaiba wasn't sure if that was a risk he was willing to take. _I'm sure one helicopter ride wouldn't hurt_ , he thought, caving just enough to prevent the guilt from metaphorically piling on top of his shoulders.

"Fine, Mokuba, you win," he said, having a difficult time feigning disdain.

Mokuba fist-pumped the air and bolted for the door. He wasn't entirely sure why Kaiba was being so reluctant, but he was more than willing to help him become the carefree, loving brother he used to be. And something told Mokuba that Dani Devlin would be a huge piece of that puzzle.

* * *

After about an hour of exploring the new, yet familiar Domino streets and racing over to the Black Clown to get Duke his own Duel Disk, Dani noticed that the crowd of people seemed to double in size. "I wish we knew where the big ceremony was supposed to take place," she sighed. "I want a good seat!"

"It does seem weird that there's no stage or anything set up. There weren't even any banners on the Kaiba Corp building," Duke recalled thoughtfully.

Without any concrete evidence to go on, they continued roaming the streets until they found a few friendly faces. "Yugi!" Dani exclaimed, waving her hands in the air so he could figure out where her voice was coming from within the sea of people. Duke was so caught off guard by the sudden outburst and accompanying sprint forward that he nearly lost her.

Dani came to a sudden halt when she realized, upon getting closer to them, that Yugi and Tea were having what appeared to be a serious conversation before she showed up. "Hey...guys," she said awkwardly, hoping she didn't just barge into something bad.

Tea instinctively shifted into a friendlier facade as she greeted the Devlin twins. Yugi acknowledged them with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. By default, he seemed to have a more serious demeanor - similar to his appearance when he fought Duke - more like the spirit of the puzzle. Duke, oblivious to all that had been going on in that moment, stated the obvious. "So, I take it you guys are here for the big Battle City announcement?"

Yugi nodded. "It is my destiny to win this tournament…apparently."

Duke scoffed. "Not to be rude or anything, but I'm being forced to enter this tournament, too. And I'm sure you noticed that I don't like to lose-."

"Wait, what do you mean 'apparently?'" Dani asked, cutting Duke off. She glanced between Yugi and Tea with a confused expression. "Did something happen before we got here?"

"We just got back from the museum," Tea explained. "There was this woman there...she showed us an artifact from Egypt that gave us a little more information about the spirit of Yugi's puzzle."

"That's awesome! What did you learn?"

"Although I have no memories of my past, I used to be a pharaoh in ancient Egypt who saved the world from destruction. According to Ishizu's prophecy, it's my destiny to fight a similar evil once more during this tournament."

"Hold on...did you just say _Ishizu_?" Dani asked. "Kaiba had some freaky late night meeting with her at the museum a couple days ago…and he got Obelisk the Tormentor from her."

"Obelisk the _what_?" Tea asked.

"Obelisk the Tormentor," Dani repeated, suddenly remembering that they wouldn't have any idea what she was talking about. After explaining the new type of monster card, she said, "I guess Ishizu thought he was worthy of having one. I wasn't really impressed when I saw it, but he seemed to take it pretty seriously."

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised," he said thoughtfully. "The artifact that Ishizu showed us depicted myself as a pharaoh battling a powerful sorcerer who seemed to resemble Kaiba. She believes that was the confrontation that threatened to destroy the world. It could be possible that Kaiba and I are destined to duel again in a similarly cataclysmic confrontation...and these god cards you mentioned might have something to do with it."

"I don't doubt that at all," Dani muttered. "But that would imply that Kaiba is the evil that needs to be stopped again...you don't believe that, do you?"

"Only time will tell," he responded solemnly. "I don't think Kaiba is evil, but somehow he does play a role in all this and I will have to face him sooner or later."

As if on cue, Kaiba's face appeared on all the electronic billboards and screens around the city. "Welcome to Battle City!" his pre-recorded message boomed through the streets, earning a cheer from the crowd.

Yugi and the others were listening closely to the instructions, but Dani's gaze drifted toward Yugi. _The tournament has only just begun and yet Yugi and Kaiba both have so much invested into it already. They're so determined to meet their goals. What am I dueling for? What's my motivation?_ Dani wondered, shifting her gaze to her brother. _Deep down...I've always wanted to be better than Duke at some game, but that just seems so petty._

 _What am I_ really _dueling for?_

Ever the multi-tasker, Roland scrambled back and forth between checking the progress of the presentation and flying the helicopter. He glanced back at the Kaiba brothers and announced that the recording was almost over. Kaiba, sitting near the window with his arms crossed over his chest, looked down at the shiny city below him and told Roland to fly lower so he could find Yugi in the crowd of amateur duelists.

Fortunately, with Yugi's unique hairstyle, it didn't take long to locate him, even from so far up in the sky. Just as the recording came to an end and the screens all turned white with the Kaiba Corp logo, Roland hovered the helicopter above the block where Yugi was watching. Mokuba tossed a rope ladder down and Kaiba dramatically jumped out onto it. He locked eyes with his rival and noticed something different in Yugi's demeanor. Kaiba could tell that Yugi not only wanted to duel Kaiba as bad as he wanted to duel Yugi, but he was also willing to give it his all. _Good_ , Kaiba thought, smirking. _When I take Yugi down, I want it to be the most epic duel in all of Duel Monsters history - with both of us giving it all we've got. Victory will be sweet, but crushing him in this way will make it so much sweeter._

Although many duelists already got their duel disks, Kaiba decided to make another announcement reminding everyone else to buy theirs before the duels begin in full force tomorrow. He enjoyed the rise he was getting out of the crowd, but he remembered his conversation with Mokuba before they left and decided that he really didn't care about all the other losers - not when his rival and...whatever you could call Dani...were standing right before him. He gestured to Roland to lower the helicopter a little more, which caused most of the surrounding people to back up as large gusts of winds from the helicopter's blades blew through the area. Yugi and Dani remained planted in place, as if they knew that Kaiba intended to speak to each of them directly.

"Yugi!" Kaiba shouted. "The next time our paths cross we will have the ultimate duel - you can count on that!"

Yugi didn't share Kaiba's arrogant ambition, but he nodded in response anyway. He wanted to elaborate and mention what he learned about their previous lives in Egypt, but he knew Kaiba wouldn't be able to hear anything over the roaring wind. And he probably wouldn't take it seriously enough.

The helicopter shifted a little more to Yugi's right, allowing the rope ladder to hover just above Dani. Dani followed the rope with her eyes until she made eye contact with Kaiba. "Get this thing out of my face!" she shouted, wondering what he was planning.

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "Just get on," he shouted back.

Dani laughed nervously and took a step backward. "No way." _He's gotta be joking. There's no way I'm climbing up that unstable rope. With my luck I'll end up falling off_ , she thought, cursing her own clumsiness and fear of heights.

She would've gladly kept backing away from the rope ladder, but she ran out of places to go when she backed into Duke, who was smirking and clearly enjoying the situation. "Isn't this everything you've ever wanted?" he asked. "Your lover boy is inviting you to take a ride on his personal helicopter."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "First of all - not my 'lover boy.' And secondly I've never wanted to ride in a helicopter."

"What's that?" he asked, pretending like he could no longer hear her over the blustery wind. "Help you aboard? You got it, sis." Snickering, he pushed her forward, causing her to grab the rope to catch her balance. Roland took this as a sign that she was ready to be pulled up, so he started flying upward.

Dani shrieked as she held the rope more closely and glared down at her brother. "I hate you!" she shouted.

He shrugged. "Think of this as payback for making business transactions behind my back."

"Are you serious?! You're going to thank me for what I did."

"And so will you," he replied, waving to her as he walked off with Yugi and Tea.

Once the height became too much for her to handle, she closed her eyes and clutched the rope for dear life. She had every intention of staying that way until she heard Kaiba shouting her name with increasing annoyance. She risked an upward glance and saw that he was closer to her now with his hand outstretched. "Unless you plan on riding all the way back to the office on a flimsy rope, I suggest we get back into the helicopter," he said.

Dani, trying to ignore that he called the rope that was preventing her from falling to her death _flimsy_ , extended her hand to reach his and nearly screamed when he hoisted her up the ladder with seemingly little effort. She hardly had time to catch her ragged breath before Mokuba leapt from his seat and nearly tackled her right out the helicopter door.

"H-hey Mokuba," she greeted, nervously pivoting them to a safer distance from the open door.

"Long time no see," he said, grinning up at her. "Aren't you super excited that the tournament has started?"

Having more than her fair share of sight-seeing from a nauseating height, Dani chose the middle seat and was eventually accompanied by a Kaiba brother on either side. "Of course I'm excited!" she laughed. "I'm probably going to be up all night organizing my deck...and teaching Duke how to play."

"Your brother wasn't on the list," Kaiba said, shooting her a skeptical side glance.

"Neither was Joey, but you know he'll find his way to a Duel Disk," Dani snickered, leaving out the fact that she all but forced Duke to enter. "At least he's more willing to be a team-player now, right?"

Kaiba shrugged. "Whatever. As long as there are no more repeats of what happened last week, then it doesn't really matter to me."

"Trust me," Dani replied assuredly. "That will _never_ happen again."

* * *

While everyone else was still clustered in the center of the city as the first duels commenced, a lone boat floated into the abandoned dock. Before the boat was fully anchored, a door near the storage compartment opened and a cloaked figure riding a motorcycle flew out onto the dock.

Marik Ishtar wasn't one of the duelists on Kaiba's invitation list, but that hardly mattered. With his Rare Hunters strategically in place and stocked with Duel Disks and powerful decks, he would soon take control of this tournament, obtain the last remaining other god card, and take the pharaoh's power. He smirked as he drove down the abandoned roads just outside of the city limits, knowing full well that everyone else was already preoccupied.

Initially he had planned on cruising around to get a lay of the land, but his intentions changed once his Millenium Rod lit up when he passed through a neighborhood, indicating that another millenium item was nearby. He smirked as he sped up and followed the guidance of his rod, which led him to an alley between a couple of houses. He parked the motorcycle and walked into the alley, where he found a white-haired boy holding a glowing Millenium Ring, which had one of its pendants pointing directly at him.

"Well, well, well if it isn't the holder of the Millenium Rod," Bakura said, remaining in the shadows. He recalled how his ring had reacted the other day when he was near the museum and wondered if this was the item that the ring had detected.

"You sound much more sinister than you appear," Marik observed, though was unshaken.

"What else would you expect from an ancient, vengeful spirit inhabiting a magical Egyptian artifact?" he asked rhetorically.

Marik frowned. "I thought the only spirit in the items was the one in the puzzle."

"You thought wrong," Bakura said, stepping closer as his interest grew. "How exactly is it that you know about the spirit?"

Marik sneered. "I come from a long line of tomb keepers and I know all about the pharaoh and his power."

This piqued Bakura's interest. Someone so well-versed in the ancient past could be very beneficial to him. "Are you here to join the tournament?" he asked.

"Not necessarily. I have my loyal Rare Hunters participating," Marik answered, also believing this partnership to be useful. "They're looking for the missing Egyptian god card while I search for the millenium items. I'm sure you see where I'm going with this."

"You wish to harness the pharaoh's power. It would seem we're on the same page...perhaps if we work together we can accomplish this goal sooner rather than later."

Before he could answer, Marik's phone started ringing. With an annoyed huff, he answered, "What is it, Odion?"

"Master Marik, I believe we found the duelist who possesses the missing god card."

Marik's annoyance gave way to excitement in an instant. "You're sure?" he asked. "Who is it?"

"Dani Devlin - she seems to have ties with Yugi Muto and Seto Kaiba."

"How very convenient. Thank you, Odion. I'll take it from here."

Bakura, who had been casually leaning up against the wall, smirked in the darkness. "Good news?"

"Very," Marik said grinning. "I just found out who has the last of the three god cards." He began to walk toward his motorcycle as though the whole conversation with Bakura had never happened.

"But didn't you say that it was your responsibility to find the items? Why don't you let me handle the card? I know this town and the people in it better than you."

Although he preferred to keep Bakura at a distance, Marik had to admit that it would be better to dispatch him to handle this matter. There would be no point in Bakura keeping Obelisk for himself, knowing that Marik was in possession of the other two. "You make a good point," he begrudgingly admitted. "The person who has Obelisk the Tormentor is someone named Dani Devlin."

In the glint of the moonlight, Bakura's smirk twisted in a malicious grin.

* * *

Much to Dani's relief, the helicopter ride from the center of the city to Kaiba Corp wasn't a particularly long one. Roland landed on the roof's helicopter pad and followed Mokuba inside. Dani jumped out of the helicopter and kneeled on the roof dramatically shouting, "LAND!"

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "I thought I already told you that your acting skills aren't very good."

"Can't you just leave me alone," she muttered, standing up and dusting the dirt off her pants. When she didn't get a response, she turned around and saw Kaiba standing over by the railing and gazing out at the city. She remained awkwardly standing in place, not sure if she should join him or head inside. "Anyway…," she said, taking a few cautionary steps backward toward the door. "I wish you the best of luck in the tournament and hope that your revenge duel with Yugi is everything you hoped and dreamed it would be."

Kaiba heard the creaking door open and spun around. "Wait," he said softly, almost as if he was still internally arguing over whether or not to act on his feelings.

"What?" she asked, frowning. When she turned around to face him, she saw the faintest flicker of emotion on his face. _What the hell is going on with him?_ She wondered.

"I just...I wanted to say thanks for your help with everything. As you know, I don't usually see any benefit in letting others do a job that I am more than capable of doing, but having you around this last week has been unusually...pleasant."

"Wait a minute," she smirked. "Are you saying you actually _enjoy_ my company?"

"So what if I am?" he asked, taking a step forward and closing the space between them. He noticed her cockiness vanish the moment he came just a little _too_ close for her comfort.

Suddenly Dani found it difficult to form words as she stared up into his surprisingly expressive blue eyes, so different from the usual glacial stare he gave. Her heart thudded against her rib cage as he lowered his head and cupped her face in his hands. Neither one of them seemed to require an answer to his rhetorical question as he pressed his lips against hers.

Once overcoming the pure shock of the whole incident, Dani snapped to attention and instinctively slipped her arms beneath his trenchcoat and wrapped them around his slim, but muscular torso. The kiss lasted for a few more minutes before they parted to take a breath, though still remained inches apart.

His crystalline eyes pierced her own emerald ones as they silently agreed to continue, locking lips once more while their tongues battled for dominance. Kaiba's fingers trailed down to her neck as they stumbled backward into a nearby wall. Mid-makeout session, Dani peeked one eye open and saw yet another side of Kaiba. In that moment, even with his eyes closed, she could see so much expression...desire...a yearning for interaction with another human being. A blush quickly spread across her cheeks when she realized that after all this time and bitterness, Kaiba chose _her_. She was worth opening up to after so many years of solitude and hardship.

* * *

Dani nearly stumbled down the stairs in front of the Kaiba Corp building as she strolled out with a goofy smile on her face and a leaping sensation in her chest. Although the whole interaction couldn't have been more than ten minutes long, it was a feeling and a moment that she kept reliving as she moved robotically down the streets she was starting to know so well.

With the streets still blocked from traffic, Dani figured it was perfectly safe to continue walking while lost in her reverie. Unfortunately, she didn't suspect that any of the handful of duelists still out and about would cause her any trouble.

"Someone looks like they've had a pleasant evening," a hauntingly familiar voice cooed from the shadows of a nearby alley.

Dani froze in her tracks, feeling dizzy as she suddenly came crashing back to reality. _I-is that Bakura?_ She thought, not sure if she should confront him or make a run for it. She remembered the stunt he pulled at the Black Clown and realized that it would probably be best to see what he wanted. She feared that if she pissed him off...she'd end up going wherever he banished her father's dark side.

She laughed flatly, glancing over her shoulder to catch a glimpse of his white hair in the darkness. "Not like it's really any of your business, but yeah, I am having a pretty good night."

He stepped forward, almost reaching the edge of the alley. She noticed the golden reflection of his millenium item. "And if I were to wager a guess, I'd say it has nothing to do with this rather exciting tournament, but rather with the tournament host. Am I correct?"

Dani blushed and turned away quickly so he couldn't see. "Again...none of your business."

"Perhaps you're right," he agreed. "What about Obelisk the Tormentor? As I'm sure you've gathered since your recent talks with Yugi and the spirit of the pharaoh, I too am from ancient Egypt. Those god cards don't belong in this world...Pegasus was a fool for creating them. Why don't you just give it to me for safe keeping and-."

Dani's laugh cut him off. "What the hell are you talking about? Is that some new card?"

Bakura's calm and collected demeanor twisted into something much more sinister as he reached out and pulled Dani into the alley with impressive bouts of strength. He threw her against the rough brick wall and held her shoulders so she couldn't get away. "Don't play dumb with me, girl."

Her body quaked with fear as she stared back at him with wide eyes, wondering what she should do. _Clearly this guy has a temper, and we all already know I'm a crappy liar...and a bad actress, according to Kaiba._ She felt a brief moment of calmness as he came to mind, but she was torn away from those pleasant thoughts when Bakura shook her. "Well?" he asked impatiently.

"Alright, fine," she conceded, trying to squirm out of his grip. "I know about the card, but I don't have it."

Bakura's grip loosened, but didn't completely disappear, since he didn't get the answer he wanted. He frowned as he stared down at her, wondering if she was being honest. Marik seemed so sure that this was the duelist who had the missing god card. He decided to play along and assume she was telling the truth. "Oh really? Then who has it? I know for a fact you were talking about it earlier this evening."

Fueled with anger, Dani finally broke free from his grip and shoulder-checked him as she walked past him. "You creep!" she shouted. "You were spying on me?"

"Not me personally, but an associate of mine," he said, not bothering to deal with the details. "So stop beating around the bush. Who has Obelisk the Tormentor? Is it your new boyfriend?"

"He's not my boyfriend!" she retorted, out of habit, but then realized that he might _actually_ be her boyfriend soon.

"So he does have it," Bakura smirked. "That would make much more sense."

Dani had enough of this bizarre and borderline dangerous interaction and had begun walking toward the safety of the open street, but froze when she heard the second half of his statement. Long locks of raven hair viciously whipped the air as she spun around and asked, "What is that supposed to mean? I could duel with that card just as well as Kaiba could!"

"Care to prove it?" he offered, pulling his deck out of his pocket.

Dani bit her lower lip wondering if it was worth the risk. After all, if she lost the duel, she'd have to give up her rarest card. If she intended to make it to the finals and prove herself as a duelist, she probably shouldn't risk participating in unnecessary duels. "I'll take a raincheck," she said, continuing to walk forward. "I can't prove anything without the card."

"I'm afraid I'd rather not wait," he called after her. "You see...if you don't duel me tonight, I might be inclined to release your father's dark half from the Shadow Realm to discipline his children."

The horrible possibility of seeing that mad man again caused Dani to shiver. She slowly turned around and stared at him with fearful eyes. "Please don't do that," she said softly, her choked words barely a whisper, but Bakura heard her loud and clear.

"Excellent!" he grinned. "I thought you might see things my way. Now - let's duel."

Reluctantly, Dani shuffled her deck and put the cards into her duel disk with shaky hands. "I just don't understand...you know _I_ don't have the card, so why bother dueling me?"

Bakura shrugged and lifted up his Millenium Ring. "Isn't it obvious? You're going to be the bait that lures Seto Kaiba to me."

Dani frowned. "Bait?" she repeated. "I doubt he's going to care if he sees that I'm in a duel."

"I think he'll care very much when he realizes what kind of duel this is going to be," Bakura explained, looking at her with a wicked grin as purple clouds of smoke spilled from the center of his ring. "Welcome to your first shadow game, Dani Devlin."

* * *

Kaiba was thankful that the building was essentially abandoned by the time he went back inside. Roland had probably driven Mokuba home for the evening, and every other average employee's shift had already ended. Solitude and silence were two things that Kaiba enjoyed very much, but was especially ecstatic about in that moment - it gave him ample opportunity to dissect what just happened on the roof.

 _I kissed her_ , he thought, slowly lowering himself into his desk chair. _There's no turning back from this now...from this moment forward I have to acknowledge that the dynamic between us has changed. Even if this goes against every standard I've set for myself…_

The more he thought it over, the more _anxious_ he felt. Anxiety was yet another foreign feeling for him and he wasn't entirely sure how to respond to it. Regardless of what happened on the roof or how he felt about it, one thing remained true: he refused to let any of this cloud his judgement or interfere with his plans for the tournament. As such, he logged onto his computer and observed the stats from the first few duels to keep his mind occupied.

He quickly scrolled through the data, uninterested in most of the names, until he found a familiar one - Joey Wheeler. He slammed his fist on the desk and seethed, "Wheeler! How did that ameateaur weasel his way into my tournament already?" Of course, with a friend like Yugi, Kaiba knew it would only be a matter of time before Joey would get his hands on a duel disk, but he didn't think it would happen this fast.

Just as Kaiba would've expected, Joey lost the duel, which caused him to snicker. "I warned him...this is going to be nothing like that joke of a tournament at Duelist Kingdom."

Now, with a more rejuvenated spirit, Kaiba continued browsing the duel results with a greater interest. A handful of rejects from Pegasus' tournament stood out - Mai Valentine, Weevil Underwood, Rex Raptor, Mako Tsunami - but for the most part it was a bland list.

Just as he was about to call it a night, something strange happened. He could've sworn that he saw Dani's name appear on the list with Bakura as her opponent - but it vanished suddenly.

 _I'm probably just seeing things. Of course I'd think her name was there...she's been on my mind far too frequently lately_ , he thought, trying to reason his way out of caring. And yet, as he stood there with his briefcase in hand, he couldn't bring himself to call for a ride home. Deep down, he knew...

 _Something must be wrong._

* * *

A/N: What an exciting way for the tournament to begin lol in the next chapter Dani will duel Bakura in a shadow game that could have very dangerous consequences. Will Kaiba be able to come to her rescue or will Dani have to fight this battle on her own?

Comments/reviews/thoughts = love

I know I'm usually terrible with setting deadlines for my updates, but I'm really going to try to get chapter 18 posted by the end of May :)


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